The first San Diego branch of Los Angeles' hit Nashville-style fried chicken eatery Dave's Hot Chicken will install in the 2,000 square-foot space that last housed the super short-lived Country Boy Fried Chicken in Pacific Beach.
Originally founded in 2017 by Chef Dave Kopushyan (who trained in Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant), Arman Oganesyan, and brothers Tom and Gary Rubenyan as a pop-up in a Los Angeles parking lot, Dave’s Hot Chicken opened its first brick-and-mortar location in East Hollywood in 2018, which quickly became extremely popular with lines around the block and nearly 100k followers on Instagram. A second outpost opened in North Hollywood this past September, with a third Dave’s Hot Chicken branch set to unveil in Los Angeles' Koreatown as early as this month. Dave’s has a concise menu of Nashville-style fried chicken tenders and fried chicken sliders (they're really full size sandwich, we were there last month) with spice levels ranging from "No Heat" to "Reaper." The restaurants also offers a list of sides including fries, kale slaw, and macaroni n' cheese, as well as a limited beer selections and soft drinks.
Dave's Hot Chicken recently partnered with the original investor group behind Blaze Pizza to take the concept across the country, including two locations to open in San Diego within the next year and up to 12 total. The investment group behind the franchise development deal includes Bill Phelps, co-founder of the Wetzel’s Pretzels chain who is now CEO of Dave's Hot Chicken, as well as former California First Lady Maria Shriver, actor Samuel L. Jackson, Red Sox owner Tom Werner, movie producer John Davis, and Good Morning America anchor and former NFL player Michael Strahan. The four original founders will retain a 50% ownership interest and also own their own franchises, including the flagship location and the branches already planned for LA.
Dave's Hot Chicken recently partnered with the original investor group behind Blaze Pizza to take the concept across the country, including two locations to open in San Diego within the next year and up to 12 total. The investment group behind the franchise development deal includes Bill Phelps, co-founder of the Wetzel’s Pretzels chain who is now CEO of Dave's Hot Chicken, as well as former California First Lady Maria Shriver, actor Samuel L. Jackson, Red Sox owner Tom Werner, movie producer John Davis, and Good Morning America anchor and former NFL player Michael Strahan. The four original founders will retain a 50% ownership interest and also own their own franchises, including the flagship location and the branches already planned for LA.
Dave’s Hot Chicken has signed a franchise agreement with San Diegans Lawrence Kourie and Andrew Feghali to open a dozen stores in San Diego County over the next few years. The first San Diego outpost of Dave's Hot Chicken will unveil in the expansive corner unit at 1001 Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach that previously housed Country Boy Fried Chicken for a record low one-month in business. The eatery is expected to open as early as February 2020. For more information, visit daveshotchicken.com.
