With two booming franchises in Lehi and Riverton, the hot chicken hotspot will expand to six units across Utah this year – with the prime Lehi Main Street location next in line
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Get ready for a heat wave, Utah. Houston TX Hot Chicken — a standout starlet of the “hot chicken” phenomenon — will have six locations across the Beehive State come summer 2024. The next location opening is at 1085 E. Main Street in Lehi (next to Via 313), which will host its grand opening celebration on Saturday, March 2 from noon to 3 p.m.
The Grand Opening festivities will be revved up with an Exotic Car Meet, complimentary sandwiches to the first 100 guests in line, a $500 “Munch Madness” Food Challenge, and a $1000 “Houston, We Have a Problem” Spice Challenge Contest (it’s 2M SHU, so get those waivers ready!).
HHC is a unique eatery known for its hot chicken sandwiches, tenders, salads, soup, waffle shakes, loaded fries, and seven signature sauces. Unlike most hot chicken concepts, HHC’s décor is modern with a splash of Vegas and houses one-of-a-kind artwork by Donovan Fitzgerald. The brainchild of entrepreneur and founder Edmond Barseghian, HHC now has 14 locations across seven states. Savory Fund invested in HHC in November 2023 to be an instrumental arm of its accelerated growth strategy.
Five of the six HHC Utah locations will be owned and operated by the franchise group Running Roosters LLC, which is led by two father-son partnerships: Chad and Carson Curtis, and Dan and Taylor Watkins. Chad and Dan have more than 18 years of experience in the restaurant franchise industry, and their sons have been involved in the business for the last six years — offering the perfect “yin and yang” leadership style of both experience and youth.
The Running Roosters team first tasted HHC in Las Vegas in 2022 and knew instantly they wanted to join the brand family. They opened their first franchise in February 2023 at Traverse Mountain in Lehi, and nearly a year later, they opened the Riverton location at Mountain View Village. These two powerhouse units are being followed by locations at Lehi Main Street, Fashion Place Mall, and downtown SLC in the historic 9th and 9th neighborhood. The St. George, Utah market will be owned and operated by franchisee Cody Steck.
“This rapid expansion has been a dream come true. When you have a product and team this exceptional, the only right choice is to keep growing,” said Chad Curtis, a longtime Lehi, Utah resident. “There is nothing out there like HHC. The food is phenomenal, the branding is unmatched, and the buzz is built on a foundation of quality. Plus, working with the leadership teams at both HHC and Savory has been a top-shelf experience. They are smart, supportive, disciplined, and effective partners.”
HHC has catered to both authenticity and commercial appeal — and that culinary combination has heat-seekers everywhere making HHC a dining destination. What’s more, with its seven signature spices — ranging from no spice to honey butter to the famous Houston, We Have A Problem — there’s a spice level for everyone at Houston TX Hot Chicken.
“It’s been incredible to see Utah fall in love with HHC, and these upcoming stores will be no exception,” Edmond Barseghian said. “Chad and Dan are the perfect franchisees to lead HHC in Utah. They are experienced restauranters, and they understand and represent our brand so well. We couldn’t ask for better partners.”
Houston TX Hot Chicken (HHC) is a fast-casual restaurant offering delicious Nashville hot chicken sandwiches and other southern-inspired favorites. The ingredients are all natural, sourced responsibly, free range, never frozen, and halal. HHC was founded in 2021 by Edmond Barseghian and has 14 locations across seven states: Nevada, Texas, Utah, California, Idaho, Arizona, and Washington. HHC has been voted one of the Top Places to Eat by Yelp two years running and is one of the fastest-growing hot chicken concepts in the country.
Savory Fund is an innovative private equity firm that combines over $750 million in assets under management with a growth playbook and expertise that has been developed over 15 years of operating in the restaurant industry. Savory partners with high-potential, profitable, emerging restaurant brands, to deliver financial capital, industry expertise, growth and revenue opportunities, profitability enhancements and new location development. The Savory team contributes directly to all aspects of growth and replication by using a proven playbook and methodology. Founder involvement in the expansion of a brand is a central theme of the Savory approach as founders carry the tribal knowledge around the uniqueness that has energized early success and is essential to future growth. Savory is currently invested in 11 brands: Swig, R&R BBQ, PINCHO, Via 313 Pizzeria, Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian Style Food, 86 Repairs, Saigon Hustle, Hash Kitchen, The Sicilian Butcher, Houston TX Hot Chicken, and South Block. For more information, visit SavoryFund.com.
