Dave’s Hot Chicken: Hollywood to the UK, with Heat to Spare

What started in a Los Angeles parking lot has turned into a spicy global takeover. Dave's Hot Chicken hit the scene in 2017 when three friends scraped together $900 to launch their Nashville-style hot chicken stand. Now, it's a billion-dollar brand backed by major investors and celebrities like Drake and Samuel L. Jackson.

In the U.S., Dave's exploded—from a few pop-ups to more than 300 locations across the country and into Canada and the Middle East. But the brand isn't stopping there.

The UK is now firmly in its sights. Late 2024 saw Dave's first shop open on London's Shaftesbury Avenue, pulling crowds with its LA-inspired interiors, seven spice levels (from "No Spice" to "Reaper"), and that Instagram-ready heat. By mid-2025, Birmingham and Manchester had joined the lineup, each adding their own city flavor to the brand's signature style.

Expansion is being driven by Azzurri Group, the team behind Zizzi and ASK Italian, who secured rights to roll out up to 60 Dave's locations across the UK and 180 restaurants across Europe. Cities in Germany, Spain, and Portugal are already on the roadmap.

From parking lot hustle to global powerhouse, Dave's Hot Chicken has managed to keep its street-food edge while scaling at lightning speed. And now, with the UK locked in, the heat is officially international.