Brunch at the Bird’s Nest Cafe on Franklin Street is an experience, drawing people from all over to eat unique, home-cooked dishes in an inviting atmosphere.

The brunch crowd is strong until the mid-afternoon. Then, in the evenings, the menu changes to the Night Hawks Diner, with dinner served Thursdays through Saturdays.

“People love it,” owner Tyra Miller said.

Now, starting Memorial Day weekend, they’re adding a new element next door, the Hen House, with an expanded bar, more seating and also walk-up service.

There, customers can find grab-and-go items like sandwiches, breakfast burritos, muffins and more throughout the day, with a walk-up window on the porch and QR code menus, enabling customers to scan, view and pay on their phones.

“We realized that the locals just want to come in and take something with them, but we’re so busy, they become an afterthought,” Miller said. “We want to be able to have that. We need to be able to handle that.”

Though she’s excited about this expansion, Miller said it’s stretching the “soul of the Bird’s Nest,” as the experience of settling in and being served has always been important to her.

“Going to a place, knowing who is serving you and having a connection before you sit down is really valuable,” she said. “Talking about us doing grab and go … it’s been interesting to think about how to make this convenient for people, but still have that homey feel.”

The other half of the vision is when the Night Hawks Diner closes at 8 p.m., the bar at the Hen House will still be open for drinks, appetizers and desserts.

“It’s all the Bird’s Nest, but we want different facets to it,” she said. “I don’t want to compete with dinner places through the week, but Thursday’s our day to get it together.” With long wait times at other restaurants in town on the weekends, Miller says that the Hen House and Night Hawks Diner will be another option.

The expansion is also a way to help guests “wait happily,” she said.

The Bird’s Nest Cafe was originally built as a home, adding to the hospitable atmosphere of the restaurant. The Hen House bar used to be a tourist rental; the two bedrooms have now been converted into extra seating for the cafe. Miller said that the entire space can also potentially be rented for an evening, with a family-style or limited menu for larger groups.

“We want to be able to use this space as many ways as we possibly can.”

Miller sees the cafe also adding meal kits for Brown County visitors to take back to their cabins, and to-go picnics for outside eating, but details are still being worked through.

“I want it to feel old fashioned,” Miller said.

Her family is from the mountains, and she remembered taking a picnic out for a day and sitting by a creek, enjoying nature.

She wants to find a way for nostalgia to meet convenience.

“Food is so important. How you eat is important,” she said. “I want there to be a part that took a minute, time, thought. You’re thinking, ‘Somebody made this food,’ it wasn’t assembled. Don’t know how that will play out. I want it to always be thoughtful.”

Though the undertaking of this new facet in the restaurant is “a lot,” Miller said it’s also worth it.

“What I love about the café is the atmosphere,” she said. “It definitely touches the most people. I see the value of a café to a small town. It’s the connection, which is more important than ever.”

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Location: 36 W. Franklin St.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday

Website: birdsnest.cafe

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