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The Student News Site of McCallum High School

The Shield Online
The Student News Site of McCallum High School

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Barbells and biscuits

Thanks to a shared commitment to community and resilience in the face of COVID, an unlikely co-habitation of comfort food and exercise thrives at 2701 Manor Road
Lucy Tepera, Mac photojournalism • January 21, 2025
Lucy Tepera
AN UNLIKELY PAIRING: Fried chicken/biscuits and a weight room. These two things are not the kind of businesses that you would be expecting to work together let alone share the same building. Dane’s Body Shop and Bird Bird Biscuit both use up half of a singular building at 2701 Manor Road. Surprisingly, they actually work together very well even if they provide opposite results for their customers. Both Dane Krager, the owner of Dane’s Body Shop, and Brian Batch, the owner of Bird Bird, believe in positivity about oneself. They both think that it is good to treat yourself to some biscuits once you have finished working out. Along with that, Dane also thinks that being alongside Bird Bird benefits his business. “Whenever they’re sitting and eating biscuits,” Dane said, “They will look up and feel guilty, which pushes them into buying a membership.”

Fried chicken/biscuits and a weight room. These two things are not the kind of businesses that you would be expecting to work together let alone share the same building. Dane’s Body Shop and Bird Bird Biscuit both use up half of a singular building at 2701 Manor Road. Surprisingly, they actually work together very well even if they provide opposite results for their customers.

Both Dane Krager, the owner of Dane’s Body Shop, and Brian Batch, the owner of Bird Bird, believe in positivity about oneself. They both think that it is good to treat yourself to some biscuits once you have finished working out. Along with that, Dane also thinks that being alongside Bird Bird benefits his business.

“Whenever they’re sitting and eating biscuits,” Dane said, “They will look up and feel guilty, which pushes them into buying a membership.”

We are pleased to share a photo essay about this unlikely entrepreneurial pairing as this week’s Tuesday Top 10. It’s also the launch of a new photo series we are calling Virtual Austin. Virtual Austin is a series of photo essays beginning today that will take you to a uniquely Austin place where you can discover it vicariously through the reporting and photography of Shield photojournalists.

Enjoy the latest installment of our Tuesday Top 10 and our first ever installment of Virtual Austin.

BIG BIRD BISCUIT: Who doesn’t love fried chicken and biscuits? That’s why Bird Bird Biscuit serves their delectable versions of them to all of the community. Brian Batch, the founder of Bird Bird, created this breakfast/lunch place in 2018, out of his “desire to grow with the people.” Batch also said, “I wanted to build a business that we had a vision for growing.” And that’s what he did. He now has two locations, one on Koenig Lane, and another on Manor Road.

DANE’S BODY SHOP: Dane’s Body Shop is a workout place that provides classes for all ages and promotes body positivity. Dane Krager, the founder of Dane’s Body Shop, started it in 2010. “It was a background in sports,” Krager said, “but also I was passionate about it from a young age watching my parents run their own business.” He said that he wanted something that was his, and that he had full control over, as opposed to running a franchise. Dane’s Body Shop is beginning to grow, however, as they already have two locations, one for more of an open gym, and another with a full slate of classes.

POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS: The foundation of Dane’s Body Shop is a positive environment and community. And that starts with the little things. Positive affirmations and slogans are written all over the shop to make the customers/community feel well and safe. “They are all very good people,” Dane said. “And we want them to feel good and proud.” He also says that they don’t talk about calories or anything like that in the shop. They believe that working out is to make you feel good and live a healthier life.

RULES OF THE RESTAURANT: Similarly to Dane’s Body Shop, Bird Bird Biscuit also believes in a positive environment. The slogans they have on the wall include ‘People not objects,’ ‘Consistent quality above all,’ ‘This is fun for us,’ and lastly ‘Blow minds.’ These quotes show how they believe in making sure that the community feels safe and that they provide only the best for them every day. “If you are part of a community,” Brian Batch said, “you treat people in a thoughtful way.” Batch also believes that work should be fun if it’s something you love.

A QUOTE TO LIVE BY: “We are all just walking each other home”—Ram Dass. This quote is one of the many aspirations that the Bird Bird Biscuit community tries to live by. “It is just one of my favorite quotes,’’ Brian Batch said. “Because it sums up my life philosophy and my philosophy for Bird Bird.” Batch believes that this quote represents how all of us should live throughout our lives. And he implants this especially in the culture of Bird Bird Biscuit since local business such as it are run by the community and localization.

BEHIND THE SCENES: With running a local business, comes many challenges. Many local businesses such as Dane’s Body Shop do not have many staff members, but someone still has to do all the day-to-day tasks that come with the job. For Dane’s Body Shop, that person is Dane Krager. “The hardest thing about running your own business is the day-to-day tasks,” Krager said. “ You have to continue every single day and wake up ready.” He has to do many things that people don’t often think of being a part of the business such as washing the rags, as seen in this picture.

COMMUNITY OVER EVERYTHING: Dane’s Body Shop is completely run and supported by the community. No community=No business. And to Dane Krager, this is perfect. To him, what makes his shop different than other “is the community.” Krager said, “You get to know the people around you, and that is really important.” He thinks that part of the reason why people keep coming into the shop every day is to have fun and grow with the people they know. He also believes that having people around you who love and support you in the community can help you to reach your full potential.

ADAPTING AND CHANGING: Everyone remembers the days of COVID. But no one struggled as much as the local business and restaurants. And for the newly founded Bird Bird Biscuit it was especially tough. “We adapted and we changed,” Brian said. “COVID changed our entire business model.” Instead of eating inside, like it used to be. Bird Bird Biscuit is now a walk-up window shop with picnic tables outside to eat. The former dining area (inside part of the building) is now a big kitchen.

SURVIVING THROUGH COVID: “Hard. It was really hard.” Those are the words that Dane Krager used to describe his business’ COVID experience. Since they couldn’t teach in-person workout classes, they switched to online. Surprisingly that turned out very well, with 70% of their membership base staying around. The community was very strong, sending Dane comments such as “We don’t want you to go under,” and “We want you to be here after the pandemic.” Dane’s Body Shop rented out their equipment and slowly started buying it back as customers started returning.

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