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Dave's Hot Chicken

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Dave's Hot Chicken
Company typePrivately held company
IndustryRestaurants
GenreFast casual
FoundedMay 2, 2017; 7 years ago (May 2, 2017)
Los Angeles, California
FoundersDave Kopushyan
Arman Oganesyan
Tommy Rubenyan
Gary Rubenyan
Headquarters
Pasadena, California
Number of locations
200 (September, 13, 2024)
Area served
United States
Canada
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Kuwait
Key people
Bill Phelps (CEO)
ProductsHot Chicken, French fries, Mac and Cheese, coleslaw, milkshakes
Websitewww.daveshotchicken.com

Dave's Hot Chicken is an American fast casual restaurant chain specializing in Nashville-style hot chicken.

Founded in Los Angeles, California, with a single restaurant in 2017, the chain had expanded to over 100 locations in four countries in 2022.[1][2][3]

Dave's Hot Chicken is headquartered in Pasadena, California.[4]

History

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Early history

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Dave's Hot Chicken location in Anaheim, California

The first Dave's Hot Chicken was opened in May 2017 by Armenian-American childhood friends Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, Tommy Rubenyan and Gary Rubenyan.[5][2][6] They were inspired by the no frills approach of In N Out Burger as well as the growing demand for fried chicken in Los Angeles.[7] Kopushyan – the chain's namesake – was a professional chef trained by restaurateur Thomas Keller at three-Michelin-star restaurant The French Laundry.[2][8] Drawing from this experience, Kopushyan developed the chain's signature hot chicken recipe.[2] The four friends scraped together $900 to set up a small shop.

The original location consisted of nothing more than a small street food stand with a portable fryer, a few picnic tables, and a limited menu, and was located in a parking lot in the East Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles. Initially the stand sold only one item: a hot chicken combo plate.[2]

Following a feature on the food blog Eater Los Angeles the stand's popularity grew substantially, with lines that reportedly at times stretched an entire block.[2]

By late 2018, the stand was closed and a restaurant was opened in a nearby strip mall on Western Avenue.[2] The restaurant's walls were decorated with street art by local artists, a style that has become a recognizable feature of the chain.[citation needed]

Franchising and domestic expansion

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In fall 2019, the founders formed an agreement with an investment group including former Wetzel's Pretzels CEO and co-founder Bill Phelps as well as movie producer John Davis to franchise the restaurant.[1][6] The deal made plans for more than 300 locations in the United States and Canada.[1] The deal saw Phelps named as the chain's new CEO.[1]

Within California

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In winter 2019, the chain opened 2nd and 3rd locations in Los Angeles' North Hollywood and Koreatown neighborhoods.[6]

In late 2020 and early 2021 the chain expanded into Orange County with stores in Anaheim, Orange, Irvine and Tustin, with plans to open 4 more in the county by the end of the year.[9]

In 2021, the chain expanded to the Bay Area with stores in Santa Rosa and Union City.[10] The next year the chain added stores in Oakland, Sunnyvale and San Leandro.[10]

Outside California

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In 2021, the chain opened upwards of 30 new locations and expanded into Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Oregon, and Texas.[11][12] In 2022, the chain expanded into Wisconsin, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Oklahoma, Arizona, Idaho, and New Jersey.[citation needed] In January 2023, the chain expanded into Nebraska, opening a single store in Omaha; as well as Portsmouth, New Hampshire.[citation needed] A Seattle location was opened in 2023, the chain also opened its first Pennsylvania location in 2023.[13] In August 2024, the chain opened its first Georgia location, in Conyers, as well as its first Vermont location, in South Burlington. The franchise in that state is owned by Lawrence Kourie, Andrew Feghali, and Usher. The grand opening featured free food and music, though Usher himself was not in attendance.[14]

International expansion

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Canada

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The chain's first international location opened in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in January 2021.[15]

United Arab Emirates

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In September 2022, Dave's Hot Chicken opened its first Middle Eastern location in the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai.[3] The chain has agreements to open further stores in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman.[3]

Qatar

[edit]

In November 2022, Dave's Hot Chicken opened its first Qatar location, in Doha.[citation needed]

Saudi Arabia

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On July 20, 2023, the chain came to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[16]

United Kingdom

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On 4th November 2024 Dave's Hot Chicken announced through their Instagram page that they would be opening a location in London, UK in the next month. In July 2024 they signed a deal with Zizzi operator Azzurri Group to open 60 restaurants in the UK, with the first of its restaurants due to launch early 2025. [17]

Notable investors

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Dave's Hot Chicken has a number of celebrity investors including rapper and actor Drake, actor Samuel L. Jackson, former First Lady of California Maria Shriver, athlete and TV personality Michael Strahan and Boston Red Sox owner Tom Werner.[1][18][19]

[edit]
2 slider combo from Dave's Hot Chicken

The chain's menu is simple, consisting only of 4 choices of hot chicken tenders, sliders or both.[18][20] Tenders are served on white bread, while sliders are served on buns with pickles, house-made "kale slaw" and a chipotle mayo sauce known as Dave's Sauce.[18][20] Customers are offered the choice of seven different spice levels for their chicken, ranging from "no spice" to "reaper" (which requires the customer to sign a waiver).[18][20] Sides include french fries, cheese fries, macaroni and cheese and "kale slaw."[18] The sandwiches are also available with chicken[21] and a kale slaw which is combination of chicken and healthful vegetables.[22] All locations serve halal chicken.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Dave's Hot Chicken Named America's Fastest-Growing Restaurant | RestaurantNews.com". May 13, 2022. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "About Us – The History of Dave's Hot Chicken | DAVE'S HOT CHICKEN". DAVE'S HOT CHICKEN. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Charlesworth, Louise (September 19, 2022). "First look: the hottest fried chicken in LA is now here in Dubai". Time Out Dubai. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  4. ^ "Dave's Hot Chicken Cooks Up Growth and Expansion in 2023 – Pasadena Now". pasadenanow.com. Retrieved November 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Our Story". Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Dave's Hot Chicken wins major investment to launch franchising". Nation's Restaurant News. September 26, 2019. Archived from the original on October 4, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  7. ^ Louise Charlesworth (September 19, 2022). "First look: the hottest fried chicken in LA is now here in Dubai". Time Out Dubai. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  8. ^ Anooshahr, Bahar. "Drake's in the hot chicken business? This celebrity-owned restaurant is opening in Arizona". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "LA cult favorite Dave's Hot Chicken is bringing new shops to south OC". Orange County Register. October 2, 2020. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Madrigal-Yankowski, Nico (May 29, 2022). "Hot chicken shack backed by Drake to open three new Bay Area locations". SFGATE. Archived from the original on October 13, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  11. ^ "Dave's Hot Chicken Plans 30 Openings for 2021". QSR magazine. January 14, 2021. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  12. ^ Rinella, Heidi Knapp (December 28, 2021). "Another hot chicken venture to open Friday on the Strip". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  13. ^ Cheadle, Harry (August 11, 2023). "Dave's Hot Chicken Is Planning a Capitol Hill Location". Eater Seattle. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  14. ^ Perkins, Erin (September 3, 2024). "R&B Superstar Usher Brings Dave's Hot Chicken to Georgia". Eater Atlanta. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  15. ^ "Canada's first Dave's Hot Chicken opens in Toronto | Dished". dailyhive.com. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  16. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved October 4, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. ^ "Dave's Hot Chicken secures first UK site". Retrieved September 9, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d e "Dave's Hot Chicken Menu – Hot Chicken Tenders, Sliders & More | DAVE'S HOT CHICKEN". DAVE'S HOT CHICKEN. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  19. ^ "Drake Invests in Dave's Hot Chicken Restaurant Chain". HYPEBEAST. September 20, 2021. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c "We Tried The Reaper At Dave's Hot Chicken And It's No Joke". Delish. August 19, 2022. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  21. ^ "Dave's Hot Chicken Sandwich Recipe - CEO Chicken". January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  22. ^ "Dave's Hot Chicken Coleslaw Recipe - CEO Chicken". January 29, 2024. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  23. ^ "A Celeb-Approved L.A. Hot Chicken Chain Makes Its Houston Debut This Week". September 22, 2021.
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