Dave’s Hot Chicken Hits Store No. 500

Dave’s Hot Chicken opened its 500th restaurant today. Located in Phoenix, the store marks a milestone for the brand which began with three childhood friends, $900, portable fryers and folding tables in an East Hollywood parking lot less than a decade ago.

After launching in 2017, the late-night pop-up quickly drew lines around the block, the brand says, and made the leap to brick-and-mortar within months, eventually catching the attention of Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder Bill Phelps, who partnered with the founders to begin franchising the concept nationwide. In 2025, Dave’s joined Roark.

“Reaching 500 restaurants is an incredible milestone, especially when you consider where Dave’s started and how quickly the brand has grown,” says Jim Bitticks, CEO of Dave’s Hot Chicken, in the release. “That growth reflects the strength of our franchise partners, our operating model and the teams supporting these restaurants every day.”

Overall, the brand has established itself in markets ranging from New York and Chicago to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Outside the U.S., Dave’s has expanded across Canada and the Middle East and made its European debut with a flagship in London. That flagship helped kick off a 60-restaurant development agreement across the U.K. and Ireland, and Dave’s has since expanded its partnership with Azzurri Group through an additional 180-restaurant agreement spanning 10 European countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal and the Netherlands. It has development rights sold for more than 1,592 locations across globe.