Brand Recently Celebrated 6th Anniversary with Parking Lot Pop-Up Where it all Began
In May 2017, four friends scraped together $900 to purchase a fryer, and served up the best-tasting hot chicken tenders around to those willing to venture to their East Hollywood parking lot pop-up. The proprietary hot chicken recipe was so good that, in 2021, Drake took notice, and became a significant investor in the concept, Dave’s Hot Chicken. The company recently celebrated its 6th anniversary by hosting a pop-up in the East Hollywood parking lot where it all began, passing out free food to customers both old and new. With timing that’s as Hollywood as it comes, the company was just named America’s Fastest Growing Restaurant Chain by industry research firm Technomic.* The recognition was earned because Dave’s Hot Chicken’s systemwide sales increased 156% over the past year, outpacing every other chain nationwide.
Dave Hot Chicken’s phenomenal growth has been fueled by the company’s cult following, demonstrated by people driving across state lines to get a taste of the food. Significant growth and company milestones include:
- 156% total sales growth in 2022 compared to 2021
- More than 700 locations in the development pipeline, with restaurants currently open in major DMAs across the US, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Detroit, Toronto, Portland, and Milwaukee. The brand also has locations in Dubai and Canada.
- More than 200M organic views of Dave’s Hot Chicken tagged on TikTok
- Highest Instagram followers per restaurant of any national Fast Casual brand
Dave’s Hot Chicken specializes in jumbo Hot Chicken Tenders and Sliders, along with sides of house-made Kale Slaw, creamy Mac n’ Cheese and crispy, seasoned 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 also launched its first mobile app and loyalty program to help celebrate its 6th anniversary, and the brand is very pleased with the rapid growth in app downloads and the strong ratings the app has received on the major app store.
“Dave’s Hot Chicken has one of 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,” said Bill Phelps, Dave’s Hot Chicken’s CEO. “The company’s nearly unheard-of growth rate is a result of the founders’ vision for this brand, the tremendous leadership team we’ve assembled, and the incredible commitment of some of the most experienced franchisees in the restaurant industry.”
*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., Middle East and Canada and will open 70-plus locations this year. 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 Billboard’s Artist of the Decade, Drake, former California First Lady Maria Shriver, actor Samuel L. Jackson, and Good Morning America anchor and retired NFL player Michael Strahan.
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