Plans reviewed by SanDiegoVille show Dave’s Hot Chicken taking a prominent corner suite at 655 H Street, where a severely fire-damaged commercial building is being reconstructed into a modern five-tenant retail plaza. Renderings for the redevelopment show Dave’s occupying the largest and most visible portion of the project, with storefront signage facing H Street and the surrounding parking lot. The location will add a South County outpost for the celebrity-backed Nashville-style hot chicken chain, which first entered the San Diego market in Pacific Beach in 2020 and has since expanded across the region.
Plaza 655 is being rebuilt within the footprint of the previous commercial structure, with the design retaining the site’s recognizable mansard-style roofline while replacing the damaged building envelope with modern materials, new storefront glazing and updated tenant spaces. According to project materials, the renovated shell will be divided into five warm-shell suites designed for long-term retail and restaurant use. The redevelopment also emphasizes reuse of the existing building footprint as a way to reduce demolition waste and embodied carbon. The project is located at 655 H Street, near the Interstate 5 corridor and within a busy commercial area of western Chula Vista.
Dave’s Hot Chicken began in 2017 as a parking-lot pop-up in East Hollywood founded by Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan and brothers Tom and Gary Rubenyan. Kopushyan had previously trained in Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant, and the company quickly developed a following for its spicy chicken tenders and sliders.
The brand’s menu remains intentionally compact, centered on chicken tenders and sliders with heat levels ranging from “No Spice” to the notoriously hot “Reaper,” which requires customers to sign a waiver. Sides include seasoned fries, mac and cheese and kale slaw, while some locations also offer cauliflower as a meat-free alternative. Dave’s expansion accelerated after the founders partnered with restaurant industry veterans and celebrity investors, including figures associated with Blaze Pizza and Wetzel’s Pretzels. The brand later attracted investment from celebrities including Drake, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Strahan and Maria Shriver.
The chain’s growth eventually culminated in a roughly $1 billion acquisition by Atlanta-based Roark Capital, the investment firm whose restaurant portfolio includes major brands such as Subway, Dunkin’ and Arby’s. San Diego has played an important role in that expansion.
Local franchise operators Lawrence Kourie and Andrew Feghali were among the brand’s earliest franchise partners and signed an agreement years ago to develop multiple Dave’s Hot Chicken locations across the county. Their regional growth helped establish the chain in communities including Pacific Beach, Mira Mesa, Mission Valley, and Solana Beach.
Feghali has since become increasingly involved in the next generation of fast-casual restaurant expansion. Earlier this month, he was named CEO of San Diego-born Mike’s Red Tacos, where he had previously served as an early investor and board member.
Mike’s Red Tacos is now pursuing its own national franchise strategy, with development agreements already announced for several markets across the United States. Feghali’s transition into that role underscores how closely San Diego’s local restaurant scene has become tied to the franchising infrastructure that helped Dave’s Hot Chicken grow from a Los Angeles pop-up into a national brand.
The new Chula Vista location also continues Dave’s push into neighborhoods beyond San Diego’s central and northern areas. Recent expansion plans have included a Solana Beach restaurant in Loma Santa Fe Plaza, while the Chula Vista location gives the chain a major foothold in South County. No official opening date has yet been announced for Dave’s Hot Chicken at Plaza 655, though redevelopment plans indicate the project is actively moving forward.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is planned for 655 H Street in Chula Vista’s Plaza 655 development. For more information, visit daveshotchicken.com.
Originally published on August 24, 2026.
