Franchising

Dave's Hot Chicken opening in Middle East

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February 15, 2022

Los Angeles-based Dave's Hot Chicken has signed a deal with franchise company Lavoya to open 31 locations in the Arabian Gulf region, including in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

"This is a massive moment in the history of Dave's Hot Chicken," Bill Phelps, CEO of Dave's Hot Chicken, said in a company press release. "Not only have we quickly established ourselves as the go-to for fast casual hot chicken in North America, but we'll now be bringing our craveable menu to markets in the Middle East. With an established franchise veteran like Walid Hajj leading the way, I'm confident about the success of the brand in this new region."

The deal is the chain's second international deal following an agreement inked in 2020 for 30 Canadian stores.

"I am a strong believer in the power of brands and the beauty of simple concepts. Dave's Hot Chicken is both of these, and I think it's well on its way to being a major leader in the industry," Walid Hajj, co-founder of Lavoya, said in the release. "Moreover, the concept and the product are simple and superior, along with the amazing team behind Dave's Hot Chicken who know exactly how to grow a brand and build a solid business. The Arabian Gulf Shore region is a chicken market that lacks a quality chicken concept, and we'll bridge that gap with Dave's Hot Chicken."

In 2001, Hajj founded Cravia, which owned locations of Cinnabon, Seattle's Best Coffee, Five Guys Burgers and Carvel Ice Cream. After building Cravia to over 100 locations in four countries, he sold it to a private equity firm in 2016, and in 2020, founded Lavoya with Fahad Alhokair. The pair also owns Joe & The Juice, an international juice bar franchise, and Barbar, a Lebanese street-food brand.

"Bringing on an operator with credentials like Walid is a huge milestone in our franchise development efforts. The experience he brings in multi-unit ownership is impeccable and exactly who we want to help make our entrance into a new continent," said Shannon Swenson, VP of franchise development at Dave's Hot Chicken. "This is an exciting way to kick off 2022 as we continue bringing Dave's Hot Chicken to people around the world."

Dave's has 33 locations.