News

Dave's Hot Chicken signs 10-unit Texas deal

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March 17, 2020

Dave's Hot Chicken, based in Los Angeles, has inked a franchise agreement with David Futrell and Ernest Crawford to open 10 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to a company press release. Earlier this year, the chain had signed two other 10-unit deals for the state of California.

Futrell and Crawford will look to grow the Nashville Hot Chicken concept throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Their team will focus on adding locations in Dallas County.

"My introduction to Dave's Hot Chicken was going to their first brick-and-mortar location on a Tuesday night when there was a line around the block at 9 p.m. The chicken is so good that I waited in that line again for seconds," Futrell. said in the release. "After my first bite of one of their chicken tenders, I just knew that people in DFW would love it. Ernest and I are so excited to bring this concept to Texas.”

Futrell and Crawford are childhood best friends who have been partners in the restaurant industry together since the 1990s. Their previous business ventures included Schlotzsky's locations in El Paso, Texas and Albuquerque, New Mexico, and they own a number of Fuddruckers locations throughout the DFW area. They also own and operate the catering company Daltex Catering.

"For our first locations in Texas, we knew we needed to join forces with the right franchise partners to make a good first impression. Luckily, we've found that in David and Ernest,” Shannon Swenson, VP of Franchise Development at Dave's Hot Chicken, said in the release. "In addition to their experience as multi-unit restaurant operators, their strong catering business offers us an opportunity to tap into a new avenue for Dave's Hot Chicken. We are excited to bring on franchise partners who bring their own personal business expertise to help further enhance the Dave's Hot Chicken concept and economic model."

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.