Latest news with #Dave'sHotChicken
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Popular US fast food chain giving out ‘best' free food next week as it opens third UK site
Read on to find out how you can get your hands on the free food FREE FOOD Popular US fast food chain giving out 'best' free food next week as it opens third UK site Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A POPULAR US fast food chain is giving out free food this week as it opens its third UK site. Dave's Hot Chicken opened its first UK store on London's Shaftesbury Avenue in December, with fans queuing up outside to get their hands on its notorious spicy chicken. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Dave's Hot Chicken opened its first UK store in London in December Credit: Dave's Hot Chicken Uk Some people have described it as "the best fried chicken on the planet", while it also has a cult following with celebrity fans including Drake and Usher. The chain is now expanding to other major UK cities, and its newest store in Manchester is set to open in August. In the lead up to the opening, Dave's is giving away free food from a secret Manchester location next Tuesday, July 29. Hundreds of Dave's Signature Sliders will be given out for free at the secret pop up. Some fans have already worked out the location of the pop up, after thousands of Oasis gig-goers spotted posters plastered all over Heaton Park at the band's last Manchester concert on July 20. The posters read "Call for Hot Chicks on 07986 992770", with people who call the number receiving a voicemail revealing the date and location of the secret event. The sliders will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, so you'll need to get down there quick if you want to make sure to get your hands on the free food. Jim Attwood Managing Director of Dave's Hot Chicken UK said: 'Manchester's been asking for Dave's and we couldn't just open quietly. "Flying a plane over an Oasis gig with a hotline number felt very us. "This is about giving Mancunians a proper first taste of what Dave's is all about. Big flavour big heat big energy. COMING SOON: US Fast Food Chains Invade the UK! "Come down and get involved - just don't hang about once the sliders are gone they're gone.' Along with it's new Manchester store, Dave's Hot Chicken is set to open seven new locations by the end of the year. It opened its second branch in Birmingham earlier this year, taking over a site previously operated by ASK Italian. Steve Holmes, CEO of Azzurri Group, which owns the chain, previously said: "We've had queues at the London site three to four months after opening," he said. "The volumes are still phenomenal. "Dave's gave us the opportunity to move into a new segment with a young consumer, a fast growing part of the market, and a different proposition." Dave's Hot Chicken was founded in 2017 in the US by Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan and Tommy Rubenyan as a late-night pop-up. It now has more than 200 sites across America. The brand is aiming to open as many as 60 venues across the UK and Ireland over the coming years. HISTORY OF DAVE'S HOT CHICKEN Dave's Hot Chicken began as a late-night pop-up in a parking lot in 2017, founded by three childhood friends. At the time, Chef Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, and Tommy Rubenyan scraped together $900 to launch the venture. The brand quickly gained popularity, leading to the opening of a brick-and-mortar restaurant in East Hollywood. In 2019, the founders partnered with Wetzel's Pretzels co-founder Bill Phelps to begin franchising. The brand has since attracted celebrity investors like Drake, Samuel L. Jackson, and Usher. It currently operates out of 200 restaurants across the US. Dave's Hot Chicken has now partnered with Azzurri Group to spearhead its UK rollout. Azzurri Group is already a major player in the UK hospitality sector. The owns well-known brands Zizzi, ASK Italian, Coco di Mama, and Boojum. Azzurri employs over 6,000 staff across 230 restaurants and stores, and it serves more than 15 million meals annually. Dave's Hot Chicken has plans to open 60 restaurants across the UK and Ireland. The first restaurant will open on Shaftsbury Avenue on December 7, 2024. Other US chains in Britain Dave's Hot Chicken isn't the only American fast food chain expanding to UK shores. McDonald's rival Wendy's is planning to open 400 locations in Britain, following its return to Britain in 2021 after 20 years. Wendy's is most famous for its square-shaped hamburgers, which are designed to maximise the amount of meat in every bite. Popular chicken joint Chick-Fil-A is also set to bring its beloved chicken sandwiches to Britain's high streets next year, with The Sun revealing the exact locations of its first five UK restaurants. Popeyes entered the UK market in 2021 and has proved to be a hit, with over 38 restaurants now open. Shake Shack and Wingstop have also opened several sites now across the country. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Popular US fast food chain giving out ‘best' free food next week as it opens third UK site
A POPULAR US fast food chain is giving out free food this week as it opens its third UK site. Dave's Hot Chicken opened its first UK store on London's Shaftesbury Avenue in December, with fans queuing up outside to get their hands on its notorious spicy chicken. 1 Some people have described it as "the best fried chicken on the planet", while it also has a cult following with celebrity fans including Drake and Usher. The chain is now expanding to other major UK cities, and its newest store in Manchester is set to open in August. In the lead up to the opening, Dave's is giving away free food from a secret Manchester location next Tuesday, July 29. Hundreds of Dave's Signature Sliders will be given out for free at the secret pop up. Some fans have already worked out the location of the pop up, after thousands of Oasis gig-goers spotted posters plastered all over Heaton Park at the band's last Manchester concert on July 20. The posters read "Call for Hot Chicks on 07986 992770", with people who call the number receiving a voicemail revealing the date and location of the secret event. The sliders will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis, so you'll need to get down there quick if you want to make sure to get your hands on the free food. Jim Attwood Managing Director of Dave's Hot Chicken UK said: 'Manchester's been asking for Dave's and we couldn't just open quietly. "Flying a plane over an Oasis gig with a hotline number felt very us. "This is about giving Mancunians a proper first taste of what Dave's is all about. Big flavour big heat big energy. COMING SOON: US Fast Food Chains Invade the UK! "Come down and get involved - just don't hang about once the sliders are gone they're gone.' Along with it's new Manchester store, Dave's Hot Chicken is set to open seven new locations by the end of the year. It opened its second branch in Birmingham earlier this year, taking over a site previously operated by ASK Italian. Steve Holmes, CEO of Azzurri Group, which owns the chain, previously said: "We've had queues at the London site three to four months after opening," he said. "The volumes are still phenomenal. "Dave's gave us the opportunity to move into a new segment with a young consumer, a fast growing part of the market, and a different proposition." Dave's Hot Chicken was founded in 2017 in the US by Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan and Tommy Rubenyan as a late-night pop-up. It now has more than 200 sites across America. The brand is aiming to open as many as 60 venues across the UK and Ireland over the coming years. HISTORY OF DAVE'S HOT CHICKEN Dave's Hot Chicken began as a late-night pop-up in a parking lot in 2017, founded by three childhood friends. At the time, Chef Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, and Tommy Rubenyan scraped together $900 to launch the venture. The brand quickly gained popularity, leading to the opening of a brick-and-mortar restaurant in East Hollywood. In 2019, the founders partnered with Wetzel's Pretzels co-founder Bill Phelps to begin franchising. The brand has since attracted celebrity investors like Drake, Samuel L. Jackson, and Usher. It currently operates out of 200 restaurants across the US. Dave's Hot Chicken has now partnered with Azzurri Group to spearhead its UK rollout. Azzurri Group is already a major player in the UK hospitality sector. The owns well-known brands Zizzi, ASK Italian, Coco di Mama, and Boojum. Azzurri employs over 6,000 staff across 230 restaurants and stores, and it serves more than 15 million meals annually. Dave's Hot Chicken has plans to open 60 restaurants across the UK and Ireland. The first restaurant will open on Shaftsbury Avenue on December 7, 2024. Other US chains in Britain Dave's Hot Chicken isn't the only American fast food chain expanding to UK shores. McDonald's rival Wendy's is planning to open 400 locations in Britain, following its return to Britain in 2021 after 20 years. Wendy's is most famous for its square-shaped hamburgers, which are designed to maximise the amount of meat in every bite. Popular chicken joint Chick-Fil-A is also set to bring its beloved chicken sandwiches to Britain's high streets next year, with The Sun revealing the exact locations of its first five UK restaurants. Popeyes entered the UK market in 2021 and has proved to be a hit, with over 38 restaurants now open. Shake Shack and Wingstop have also opened several sites now across the country. .
Time of India
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Kim Kardashian's second husband Kris Humphries went from NBA millions to working at a fried chicken chain
Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries were once Hollywood's buzziest couple, stealing headlines with their whirlwind romance. They met in 2010 and were soon splashed across tabloids. Kim gushed about Kris's 'good heart' and how chemistry and trust were key. By May 2011, the NBA player had popped the question and August saw their fairy-tale wedding go down, only for it to crash and burn just 72 days later, when Kim filed for divorce. Classic pop culture drama. Kris Humphries slam dunks to saucy drums at a chicken empire Fast forward to today, and the man who once made millions dunking basketballs is now dishing out fried chicken for a living. Kris Humphries, who made an estimated $66 million over his NBA career, has taken an unexpected turn in life by diving head-first into the fast food industry. In 2022, Kris and his family signed on as franchisees for Dave's Hot Chicken, a trendy and spicy fried chicken chain sweeping across the US. The plan? To open 18 locations in his home state of Minnesota. Yes, you read that right, eighteen. And this is not his first bite of the fast food world. Kris has previously owned franchises of Crisp & Green and Five Guys, but this chicken venture seems to be personal. According to those close to him, Kris believes Dave's Hot Chicken is 'the best chicken ever' and he could not wait to bring it to his hometown. A finger-lickin' new life for Kris Humphries Kris reportedly said that Dave's Hot Chicken 'checks all the boxes' for the kind of brand he wanted to invest in. For a man once known more for tabloid headlines than food trends, this rebranding moment is giving serious second-act energy. While fans may forever remember him as Kim's short-lived husband, Kris Humphries is clearly out here building an empire, just with hot sauce instead of Hollywood.
Eater
15-07-2025
- Business
- Eater
Smash Burger Restaurant Gets an Opening Date on the Las Vegas Strip
The Cosmopolitan has been without a dedicated burger restaurant ever since Holsteins closed in July 2024. This changes as of Monday, July 28, when Naughty Patty's opens its doors at the Block 16 Urban Food Hall, near China Poblano. The casual, retro-style spot leans into Las Vegas's ongoing obsession with smash burgers, serving thin, lacy patties with nearly caramelized edges. The burgers are made from a blend of ground chuck and brisket, seared and topped with lettuce, tomato, and raw onion, plus a citrusy yuzu and sesame oil sauce. The anticipated restaurant will also serve chili-style hot dogs, crispy grilled cheese sandwiches, and seasoned fries tossed in furikake. For dessert, thick concretes come loaded with toppings in nostalgic flavors like Oreo and strawberry shortcake. Naughty Patty's will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Naughty Patty's. Janna Karel Dave's Hot Chicken Opens at the Airport Travelers flying out of Harry Reid International Airport's Terminal D — like those on American, Delta, and Frontier — can soon grab spicy sandwiches before takeoff. Dave's Hot Chicken opens its first airport location on Friday, July 18, debuting a breakfast menu for the first time. Offerings will include hot chicken and waffles, breakfast sliders with eggs, and burritos stuffed with hot chicken and hashbrowns. LA Rice Bowl Restaurant Opens Another Vegas Location Los Angeles-based rice bowl chain, WaBa Grill, opened another Southern Nevada location on Monday, July 14, at 7060 South Durango Drive #115 near West Warm Springs Road. Menu items include chicken rice bowls, salmon with steamed vegetables, shrimp tacos, and dumplings. Superior Grocers Opens Another Las Vegas Location It's been a banner year for regional grocers in Las Vegas. Following the recent arrivals of H-Mart and Aldi, Southern California-based Superior Grocers will open its second local store on Wednesday, July 23, at 390 South Decatur Boulevard, near West Charleston. Eater Vegas All your essential food and restaurant intel delivered to you Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Los Angeles Times
15-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
From an L.A. parking lot to a $1 billion deal — the red-hot success story of Dave's Hot Chicken
It started in an East Hollywood parking lot: one small fryer, no permits, a few heat lamps and a tent constantly battered by wind. A trio of friends — all from L.A.'s Armenian community, and all high school dropouts — scraped together $900 in 2017 because they believed that their Nashville-style fried chicken stand was the future. Now Dave's Hot Chicken is worth $1 billion. This year the modern specialist in the decades-old spicy fried chicken style that originated in Nashville became one of L.A.'s most astounding small-business success stories. The chain currently operates about 320 storefronts, with 800 more planned. Dave's Hot Chicken has opened as many as five new locations in a day. ('Oh, we've done that multiple times,' co-founder Arman Oganesyan said casually.) The spiced, craggly, neon-red chicken tenders and sandwiches can now be found in London and Dubai just as easily as in Hollywood and Ladera Heights. And those are now valuable globetrotting chicken tenders. In June private-equity firm Roark Capital acquired the homespun chain, which began with a five-month renegade stint, valuing Dave's at $1 billion. 'Ever since Dave's started it changed my life, but this [deal] gives me a little bit of security,' Oganesyan said. According to Oganesyan, who declined to share the figure of his new net worth, the payout was 'a lot.' 'Let's just say it's starting to look like a phone number,' he said of his bank account. The 33-year-old entrepreneur, born in Armenia, moved to Los Angeles when he was 2 years old and met another Dave's founder, Tommy Rubenyan, in kindergarten. In middle school Dave Kopushyan became another fast friend, and eventually the chef, co-founder and namesake of their company. Until 2017 the thought of owning a restaurant empire — let alone a single restaurant — never crossed Oganesyan's mind. But that year the aspiring actor and standup comedian noticed Nashville hot chicken starting to trend, primarily given the success of Chinatown's Howlin' Ray's, a West Coast beacon of the dish. The fried chicken is typically coated in a mixture of cayenne and paprika that singes the tongue. It was invented by Thornton Prince III, of Nashville's Prince's Hot Chicken. His descendant Kim Prince brought her family's legacy to L.A. in 2017 with her Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw restaurant, Hotville Chicken, but closed it in 2022. She now serves her famous Hotville fried chicken via Dulanville Food Truck, which she runs in collaboration with restaurateur Gregory Dulan. Prince's sparked hot chicken restaurants throughout the country, but it reached a fever pitch in Los Angeles with Howlin' Ray's. Oganesyan knew Kopushyan, a former Bouchon line cook, had the culinary skills to test the waters, but it took a little convincing to get him on board. But after a taste — and witnessing the popularity — Kopushyan had to try to create a recipe of his own. 'Arman brought me to Howlin' Ray's and it blew my mind,' Kopushyan previously told The Times. 'We saw the lines at Howlin' Ray's and we knew it was going to be a good business.' When not working shifts at Echo Park vegetarian restaurant Elf Cafe, Kopushyan toiled in his home kitchen with spice blends for four and a half months, obsessively tinkering with breading, seasoning and frying. The three friends ate it every day, tasting and discussing each batch in Kopushyan's Hollywood apartment. He wanted to steer the pop-up in a cheffier direction, incorporating their own house-made bread and pickles, while Oganesyan wanted something more tailored to his own 'simple palate.' Eventually they found compromise. The recipes, however, remain secret. They scraped together about $900: $315 Oganesyan had saved, $300 from Kopushyan's most recent Elf Cafe paycheck, and another $300 from Rubenyan. When the trio deemed their product ready, Rubenyan's parents spotted an opportunity: Across the street from their East Hollywood flower shop sat a vacant lot. They knew the landlords, who gave the trio their blessing to use the space. The plan was simple: Pop up for roughly a year, then spring for a food truck and slowly grow the operation into a bricks-and-mortar. Things moved at a much faster pace than any of them imagined. Dave's Hot Chicken debuted in May 2017 running Monday to Saturday, informally, in the parking lot. 'If we got shut down, we got shut down, back to square one,' Oganesyan said of the business plan. Fortunately for them, it never happened. As word of mouth spread curious customers lined up for meals that included two tenders with fries, slaw and slices of white bread, nearly identical to what the chain offers today. A few weeks later the team added sandwiches. Eventually they would expand the spice-level offerings from the simple choice of mild or hot to today's seven options ranging from no spice to reaper. 'We always tell people to get hot, because it's not called Dave's Mild Chicken,' Oganesyan said. The chicken — sourced from Wayne Farms — has been halal from day one, not due to religious preferences but to quality, a choice that multiple members involved said contributed to the seamless expansion into the United Arab Emirates. The early days were 'hectic,' according to its owners, who said they were 'working against the elements' with far too many customers than they were prepared for. An early article from Eater LA multiplied the lines overnight, with 60 to 90 guests waiting for at least an hour. Instagram and TikTok fueled the demand, creating more buzz and a flurry of parking-lot imitators across the city. Within a few months, the trio realized they'd need to ride the hot-chicken wave and expand earlier than planned. Rubenyan's brother, Gary, became a partner, allowing them to launch their first restaurant, a corner space in a strip mall on Western Avenue. They invited their friends to scrawl spray-painted phrases and sketches across the walls, an aesthetic now seen in Dave's locations around the world. Soon after launching their first storefront, investors John Davis and Bill Phelps entered the picture. Davis, a prolific movie and TV producer, had his hand in a number of fast-casual restaurants. He'd helped incubate and grow businesses such as Blaze Pizza and Wetzel's Pretzels with his business partner, Phelps. In 2018 the Dave's founders sold half of the company to Davis and Phelps, and tapped the latter as chief executive; the company launched the second Dave's in 2019, quickly followed by a half-dozen more. Franchises spread into San Diego and Orange County, then Canada, across the U.S. and into the United Arab Emirates and London. Lines at openings still routinely wrap around the block, eight years into business. 'I've been doing the restaurant industry since I was 15 years old — I'm 51 years old now, and I've never seen anything like Dave's or the fandom around it,' said Jim Bitticks, Dave's president and chief operating officer. Bitticks joined Dave's after the company's fourth restaurant, and had worked with Phelps and Davis at Blaze Pizza. The companies' franchise and expansion plans, he said, are similar: Roughly 99% of the restaurants should be franchise-owned-and-operated, with a few company-helmed restaurants to staff training teams, which then help open franchise locations around the world. The four founders still own and operate seven locations, including the first restaurant and three others in L.A., plus three in Las Vegas. They see themselves as a kind of In-N-Out for Nashville hot chicken — but with a globe-spanning reach. Within two years of Dave's partnership with Phelps and Davis numerous celebrities signed on as investors, including Drake, Samuel L. Jackson and Maria Shriver. 'It was great, but I emphasized to everybody that celebrities are not going to make or break your brand,' Oganesyan said. 'If your food can't stand on its own two feet, then it doesn't matter if the pope endorses you, nobody's gonna care.' Then in 2025, a breaded-and-fried bombshell: Multi-billion-dollar private equity firm Roark Capital would acquire 70% of the chain's business, a deal valued at $1 billion. The behemoth, Atlanta-based firm currently owns five dozen companies, nearly half of them food-based, including Subway, Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin' Cinnabon and Jimmy John's. Its courtship with Dave's was a long one. Representatives attended the opening of the chain's 15th storefront in 2021, and ever since, they kept in touch. In late 2024 the Dave's founders decided to expand into even more countries and 'nontraditional' spaces such as airports and food courts. After years of interest from Roark Capital they decided, in early 2025, to agree to a deal. Bitticks said that a stipulation of the acquisition was that all executives keep 50% of their equity, keeping them engaged in the future of Dave's Hot Chicken. 'None of us are leaving,' he said. 'We have gotten people saying, 'Oh, they sold, they're going to sell out,'' Bittick said. 'We're really focused on not allowing that to happen. Even though there was a sale and some of the equity changed hands, the whole point is that Roark Capital doesn't want to screw it up, either.' Eventually, Oganesyan said, he might like to start a new company. For now his focus is on Dave's and how far they can build the brand. 'I feel like the sky's the limit right now,' he said. Nearly everything — at least so far — has remained the same at the company. The same management team remains in place. Oganesyan will remain the branding officer, and Kopushyan the chief culinary officer. The founders' hope is that Roark Capital allows for an international expansion with minimal intervention in the existing chain of command. There's also the increase in access. With a network of global food suppliers, the Dave's team aims to secure better vendor pricing and similar scaling perks under the Roark umbrella — though the chicken's sourcing will remain the same. According to Dave's owners the food will not change, and if any new items are added to the menu, they will be closely related to the original dishes. Oganesyan said all employees will be retained. 'For the most part,' Oganesyan said, 'I think we'll continue to run the company the way it is.' After the acquisition, shareholders contributed roughly $60 million of their own profits to start a bonus pool for Dave's employees, including some store managers whom they felt had helped the business grow over the years. Before Dave's, Olivia Mendoza had never tasted Nashville-style hot chicken. The closest she'd come, she said, was Popeye's — not very close at all. But the spicy hot chicken would change her life, turning her into a first-time business owner in less than one year with the company. Along with Bitticks and three others, Mendoza owns and operates Dave's locations in Ontario, Fontana and Chino Hills, and a fourth is set to debut in Claremont this month, with more planned for next year. Could the excitement over Nashville-style hot chicken eventually fizzle out? 'Obviously, there's always things that come and go — a trend — and they die in a few years,' Mendoza said. 'But I feel like this is something that's going to stay because it's not just another brand. I think because of all it has behind it, and all the support that is there, that it will keep us going and growing as well.' The company hopes to bring its neon-red chicken strips farther into the UAE, U.K. and Europe. But to Oganesyan, no matter where Dave's opens and how far his hot chicken empire spreads, Los Angeles will always be the chain's home base. 'We're just so known out here,' he said. 'It's our hometown. It's like a home court advantage out here.'
