Lulu Birds Kitchen on Main Street, Gloucester, will soon be under new ownership.

Current owners Keyvan and Isabelle Behnam are retiring and handing over the reins to Dave Coleman. Coleman has decades of experience in the restaurant business and plans to use his experience to honor the integrity of what the Behnams have established.

Isabelle Behnam said part of why she and her husband are comfortable with selling the business to Coleman is how their interests align. Both Coleman and Keyvan Behnam have a corporate background in the restaurant business. Both were interested in operating a restaurant out of an older building with history. And both have a high level of attention to detail in the food they serve and in the business they run. She said there was an instant connection between the Benhams and Coleman.

For Coleman, the restaurant’s consistency was one of the alluring aspects of Lulu Birds. He said a lot of the staff have been there for a long time and the restaurant had built a positive atmosphere that has kept drawing customers in. He said the ideal location paired with its community trust made Lulu Birds the perfect fit.

Now a Toano resident, Coleman once lived in Gloucester before selling his land and moving to York County. However, he said his family wanted to return and eventually retire in Gloucester. Finding a restaurant in the county that fit what he was looking for made the choice easy for him.

Coleman said he’s honored to be trusted with the brand that the Behnams worked hard to establish. He looks to maintain a similar vibe the customers are used to at Lulu Birds while making some changes along the way. For example, he said he plans to locally source as much of the restaurant’s food as he can. He also plans to park a smoker behind the restaurant to add more flavors to the menu.

The official changing of hands will be on July 9 and Behnam said the transition is bittersweet. Since opening in 2014, their experience running Lulu Birds has been special. She said they’ve been lucky to meet all their loyal customers and now look forward to joining them on the other side of the bar.