Freebirds CEO’s legal background, curiosity help him guide burrito chain during new expansion push

A previous stalled expansion campaign taught Austin-based restaurant chain Freebirds World Burrito some important lessons.

When Tavistock Restaurants bought Freebirds in 2007, it had 19 locations in Texas. By 2016, it had nearly 100 locations in seven states.

But in the ensuing years, Freebirds closed all of its eateries outside the Lone Star State. Alex Eagle, who became CEO in 2018, said the timing wasn’t right: “For a variety of reasons, our execution probably could have been better, to…