Franchising
Dave's Hot Chicken opens 7 stores in 1 week
November 20, 2023
Los Angels-based Dave's Hot Chicken notched a brand milestone through the opening of seven restaurants in one week in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin; Saugus, Maryland; Phoenix, Arizona; Queensbury and Tonawanda New York; Westminster, Colorado and and Webster, Texas.
"It's been an exciting week for our team," Bill Phelps, CEO of Dave's Hot Chicken, said in a company press release. "For the last few years, people have watched us quickly break through the fast-casual segment ceiling with record units signed, but now people get to experience us opening our doors at an unbelievably fast pace. It's all made possible with our mind-blowing food, great corporate team and our experienced operators. We did seven openings in six states all in just one week, and we're not slowing down!"
Hot off this week's growth momentum, Dave's Hot Chicken has opened 69 locations so far this year, bringing its total open store count to 170. Also this year, 109 franchise commitments were signed, bringing its total commitment count to 862 and a packed pipeline heading into 2024.
"In order for us to achieve this growth, all aspects of the brand needed to be firing on all cylinders at the same time," Juan Lopez, VP of operations and training, said in the release. "It's a direct result of having the right team members and experienced franchisees working together. As we opened a record seven new locations in one week this week and expanded into several new markets, our primary focus remains on providing outstanding dining experiences to new and existing communities nationwide to satisfy the incredible demand for our famous Nashville-style hot chicken."
Capitalizing on its growth momentum, Dave's Hot Chicken has identified various avenues to further enhance its footprint, including menu upgrades and establishing partnerships as well as reinforcing its top-tier executive team. For example, it recently hired CMO Brad Haley and CTO Leon Davoyan.
In May, Dave's Hot Chicken was ranked No. 1 on Fast Casual's Top 100 Movers and Shakers, and CEO Bill Phelps made the Top 25 Executives list. In March, he was initiated into the Fast Casual Hall of Fame.
