Something to Crow About

When we last checked in with the Moody Rooster in Westlake Village, it was 2017. So much has happened since then, says Vicki Crannell, who owns the restaurant along with husband and chef Collin Crannell. They have been able to parlay their success into expanding their business, though it has proved arduous.

“We were still using the old spot as a restaurant while we remodeled the old Taco Bell,” says Vicki, explaining that their landlord at Westlake Commons brought it to their attention when the larger, more prominent spot in the strip mall became available. The Moody Rooster moved in in February 2022.

The Crannells wanted to also keep the old space and convert it into Moody Market and Provisions, a deli with sandwiches, gourmet salads, farm bowls, whole roasts, snacks, desserts, beer and wine and provisions by other artisans. “Everything is ‘to go’ but guests can dine at our outside tables or indoors on our stools,” says Vicki, adding that carryout meals can be ordered ahead.

As with all of the offerings at the Moody Rooster, the deli will sell the freshest, local, sustainable food in compostable packaging. “We’ll be selling pita and ciabatta bread from our starter, Doughra, who started in 2017.”

“We thought we’d settle in [the new space] and iron out the kinks. Then we would convert the old market, and it wouldn’t take forever,” says Vicki, explaining that the mall is actually in Thousand Oaks for planning purposes. This meant establishing the Moody Market and Provisions—which is a few dozen feet away from the new restaurant spot—as though they were new tenants, not a continuation of the original Moody Rooster. This turned out to be an unexpectedly slow process. She says she has filed this episode as another story to tell going forward.

The Crannells had always planned on opening a deli once the restaurant got going. The pandemic and the resulting slowing of business to takeout-only moved things along. “The pandemic propelled us into getting our ideas down on paper. We were trying to utilize that opportunity to create ideas for a new market,” says Vicki.

They looked into compostable packaging, online ordering and delivery programs. During the pandemic, the Crannells found they could efficiently use their own staff at the Moody Rooster restaurant for deliveries, without sharing proprietary data with the larger food delivery services.

Over the years, the passion for fresh, local, sustainable fruits, vegetables, seafood, meat and all other recipe ingredients hasn’t abated. The weekly Westlake farmers’ market is held Sunday morning right outside the restaurant doors. Chef Collin is a regular, exploring the stalls looking for inspiration and freshness.

“We don’t follow trends. We just do what we feel. Collin’s an artist. He gets inspiration from anything —a smell, a tree, the farmers’ market. We just do what we want to do,” says Vicki.

Over the past six years, Vicki says she’s noticed more local chefs at the farmers’ market, as more embrace local food sources.

“I would say I see a lot of creativity coming out of the pandemic. I hope more people are more open to food from local farmers. I would prefer having something that grew out of ground right here, not in another country,” she says.

• The Moody Rooster Restaurant 
  2900 Townsgate Rd., Westlake Village 
  Moody Rooster Market and Provisions
  2891 Townsgate Rd., Westlake Village 
  MoodyRoosterWLV.com