LA chain Dave's Hot Chicken plans to open 30 restaurants in Canada
We could all use some good news right now when it comes to restaurants, so here it is: a Los Angeles joint famous for its chicken is planning to open a ton of locations in Canada.
Dave's Hot Chicken has plans to open 30 locations across Ontario and British Columbia. This is exciting news for spice lovers: scrolling through their epic Instagram feed is a visual smorgasbord of chicken tenders slathered in neon hot sauce, gooey mac n' cheese and crinkly golden fries.
The brand has partnered with Obelysk Foods for the expansion, which is led by John Bitove, who actually founded the Toronto Raptors.
"On a trip to LA with my daughter Blair Bitove, who went to USC, we visited Dave's Hot Chicken, saw the lineups and passion the guests had, tried the incredibly flavourful food and knew this was a concept we needed to add to our portfolio," said Bitove.
The concept was started in LA in 2017 by Chef Dave Kopushyan and friends (also behind Burgers Never Say Die) as a parking lot pop-up that inspired lineups around the block. Dave's Hot Chicken deals in tenders and sliders in spice levels from none to "Reaper" accompanied by kale slaw, mac n' cheese, pickles, fries and cheese fries.
"We were beyond excited as the partnership with John started to fall into place. Not only did it signify the making of the brand's first international growth, but John's business acumen and restaurant experience is unbeatable," said Bill Phelps, Dave's Hot Chicken CEO, Wetzel's Pretzels founder and an original investor in Blaze Pizza.
The chicken joint now has several locations in California, and had 100 units committed within six months of announcing their franchising initiative. The brand also boasts investors like Samuel L. Jackson, Maria Shriver and Michael Strahan.
"Dave's Hot Chicken will resonate with our customers in many ways by providing a variety of options including walk up, delivery services and ultimately, in-restaurant seating when permitted," said Blair Bitove.
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