Culinary Dropout now open at The Summit

Culinary Dropout, a restaurant born from the vision of a college dropout and his culinary partners, opened its 12th location on March 20 at The Summit.

Founded by Sam Fox, the restaurant aims to deliver a dining experience based on classic meals and a welcoming atmosphere.

Ryan Justesen, regional manager of operations with Fox Restaurant Concepts, shared that their sister restaurant, North Italia, has been doing well in its Summit location since it opened in 2021.

“We looked at The Summit and decided it would be a great space to add our Culinary Dropout concept to the area,” Justesen said.

The menu at Culinary Dropout Birmingham offers dishes such as house-made soft pretzels with provolone fondue, crispy fried chicken drizzled in honey, meatloaf, vegan curry, 36-hour ribs and several fish dishes. Guests can also build their own charcuterie boards or order salads, sandwiches and Detroit-style pizza. The bar offers a wide range of signature cocktails and craft beers.

Justesen said his favorite cocktail is the “Playboi Stache,” which contains vanilla tea-soaked vodka, passion fruit liqueur and orange oil.

“It’s a fun menu to look through and eat through, but the environment is what really sets us apart,” Justesen said. “On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, we’ll have live music. We’ll have ‘NFL Sunday Ticket.’ Of course, we’ll have the college games on, too.”

For brunch lovers, Culinary Dropout Birmingham will offer a variety of dishes such as sausage, bacon & egg pizza and banana bread French toast, along with brunch cocktails, every Saturday and Sunday.

Justesen describes the restaurant as a mix between casual and upscale, with food that is familiar and approachable but still held to a high technical standard.

“We change our menu a few times a year,” he said. “We will change the local beer lists. We’ll change the cocktail lists. That said, there are some Culinary Dropout staples that will remain on the menu.”

One such menu item is their fried chicken, which he promises is up to the standards of the discerning Southern palate.

“It is being dropped all day long, so it’s always fresh,” he said. “It will never be sitting under a heat lamp.”

On opening day, Culinary Dropout donated 30% of proceeds to The Exceptional Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving individuals with special needs in the greater Birmingham area.

Justesen said that opening any new restaurant has its challenges, but hiring and training the Culinary Dropout team takes a lot of time because the menu is so specific and technical.

“It’s our responsibility to make sure our front of the house team has all of that information to share with the guests as well,” he said.

Culinary Dropout is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday, 10 a.m. to midnight Saturday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday. Guests can also order online for in-store pickup or delivery through the Culinary Dropout website or DoorDash.

Visit culinarydropout.com/locations/culinary-dropout-birmingham for more information.