Fried chicken lovers rejoice! After months of rumours, L.A born street food sensation turned fast-casual hit Dave’s Hot Chicken has finally landed in Dubai. Ready to blow your mind with its hot fiery chicken and awesome vibe, the restaurant officially opened its first branch today at The Walk, JBR.
With an incredibly craveable “Hot and Spicy” cult following, L.A phenomenon Dave’s Hot Chicken specializes in Hot Chicken Tenders and Sliders, along with sides of crispy fries, creamy mac n’cheese and house-made kale slaw. Offered at 7 different spices levels ranging from No Spice to Reaper (which requires a signed waiver for those who dare), each piece of juicy, hand-breaded chicken is spiced to order. With its star product and investors such as Drake and Samuel L Jackson, it’s not hard to see why this brand is taking over.
What started out as a 2017 pop-up in an East Hollywood parking lot, founders Arman Oganesyan, Tommy and Gary Rubenyan, and the classically trained Chef Dave Kopushyan scraped together $900 with the goal of serving the best-tasting hot chicken on the planet. Five years later, they have turned their version of Nashville hot chicken into a nationwide chain, becoming America’s fastest-growing restaurant.
Now, Dave’s Hot Chicken has arrived in the UAE in partnership with Lavoya Restaurant Group. Established with the purpose of significantly transforming dining experiences, Lavoya introduces new and unique casual dining concepts to reshape the F&B industry in the GCC. The group has seen recent success by bringing diverse new flavours to the region with international brands such as Barbar, the recently opened Joe and the Juice and now Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Walid Hajj, Co-Founder and CEO of Lavoya Restaurant Company says “With the first location now open in Dubai we are extremely excited to be bringing Dave’s Hot Chicken to the UAE and cannot wait to blow everyone’s mind. The brand already has an international cult following and is very successful in the US market. With its unique proposition and superior product, we expect the brand to perform equally as well in the local market, as we aim to bring the same quality and customer experience to the GCC”.
The new outlet, now open on The Walk, JBR is inspired by urban culture and the streets of L.A, featuring bright custom graffiti artwork throughout the walls, created by artists especially flown from the USA. With no plans to slow down, Dave’s Hot Chicken will open a second branch in Motor City in the coming few weeks! If you thought that was it and the brand’s GCC expansion stopped at Dubai, you’re very wrong. Premium restaurant operators Lavoya linked a franchise agreement for 31 locations in the GCC including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman, with Qatar stores anticipated to open as soon as next month.
