Brand Goes from Parking Lot Pop-Up to More than 700 Units Under Development in Five Years
In May 2017 four friends scraped together $900 to purchase a fryer, and serve up the best-tasting hot chicken tenders around to those willing to venture to their East Hollywood parking lot pop up. That combination of good friends working hard, a proprietary hot chicken recipe, and social media savvy marketing has today powered Dave’s Hot Chicken to become the fastest-growing restaurant in America*. From Usher, who recently posted an Instagram video eating the company’s Reaper spice-level slider, to Billboard’s Artist of the Decade, Drake, who invested in the company after trying the product, Dave’s Hot Chicken continues to cultivate fans across North America.
Dave Hot Chicken’s growth is also driven by the company’s cult following, demonstrated by people driving across state lines to get a taste of the food, including a couple that trekked 10 hours to be at the first Denver location. Additional growth and company milestones include:
- 262% total 2021 sales growth compared to 2020
- 471% total 2021 open unit count growth compared to 2020
- More than 700 locations in the development pipeline, with restaurants currently open in major DMAs across North America, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Detroit, Toronto, Portland, Milwaukee and more
- 31-plus million views of organic, user-generated TikTok content with the Dave’s Hot Chicken hashtag
- Highest Instagram followers per restaurant of any national Fast Casual brand
Dave’s Hot Chicken specializes in Hot Chicken Tenders and Sliders, along with sides of house-made Kale Slaw, creamy Mac n’ Cheese and crispy French Fries. Offered at seven various spice levels ranging from No Spice to Reaper (which requires a signed waiver for those who dare), each piece of juicy, hand-breaded chicken is spiced to order.
“Dave’s Hot Chicken has one the greatest origin stories in the restaurant business, with the founders starting Dave’s as a parking lot pop-up restaurant in Hollywood with a portable fryer and picnic tables from their backyards just five short years ago,” said Bill Phelps, Dave’s Hot Chicken’s CEO. “The company’s nearly unheard of growth is a result of the founders vision for this brand, and the tremendous leadership team we’ve assembled to facilitate its growth.”
*Based on a study conducted by Technomic, a third-party research company
In a modern-day American dream story, Arman Oganesyan and best friend Chef Dave Kopushyan, along with brothers Tommy and Gary Rubenyan, launched Dave’s Hot Chicken in a parking lot pop-up in 2017. Dave’s Hot Chicken quickly took off, opening its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in East Hollywood. In 2019, the team struck a deal with Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder and former CEO, Bill Phelps, and movie producer John Davis to begin franchising the Dave’s Hot Chicken concept throughout the U.S. and beyond. The company has sold the rights to more than 700 franchise locations in the U.S. and Canada. Harkening back to an Eater LA blog that helped propel early interest in the brand, the company’s mission is to “blow their minds.” Additional brand investors include former California First Lady Maria Shriver, Red Sox owner Tom Werner, actor Samuel L. Jackson, and Good Morning America anchor and retired NFL player Michael Strahan. For more information, visit www.daveshotchicken.com.
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