Franchising

Dave's Hot Chicken inks 26-unit deal for Texas

December 15, 2020

Dave's Hot Chicken, a Los Angeles-based street food turned fast casual brand, has inked a franchise agreement to open 26 locations throughout Houston and College Station, Texas.

"We're all very excited to break into such a large, diverse and promising market. From a cultural fit, Dave's Hot Chicken is perfect for these areas," Bill Phelps, Dave's Hot Chicken CEO, said in a press release. "We've partnered with the perfect group to introduce this concept to Houston and College Station, and look forward to growing even more in Texas."

The franchise group is targeting Spring 2021 for the first opening.

"When going through the site selection process, there were several other markets around the country we could have chosen. However, Houston and College Station were the exact places that our group wanted to bring Dave's Hot Chicken," Brian Wells, a spokesman for the group, said in the release. "Both markets already have a great restaurant scene, and we think Dave's Hot Chicken will be perfect to elevate them to an even higher and hotter level. We can't wait bring the heat to H-Town and College Station."

Founded by classically trained Chef Dave Kopushyan and three friends in early 2017, Dave's Hot Chicken initially opened as a parking lot pop-up in LA. It now has multiple brick-and-mortar locations in Southern California and has partnered with restaurant veteran Bill Phelps, former co-founder and CEO of Wetzel's Pretzels and a partner in Blaze Pizza. The brand has 240 units committed within one year of franchising, with over 30 locations expected to open coast-to-coast in 2021.