Dave’s Hot Chicken
Loading...Restaurant serving Nashville-style hot chicken.
Open in Koreatown seven days a week, from 11:00 am to 11:00 pm.
Located on the southeast corner of Wilshire & Irolo (Normandie) where Togo’s used to be.
@DavesHotChicken CEO Bill Phelps
The three-unit brand, based in Los Angeles, was founded in 2017 by chef Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, and brothers Tom and Gary Rubenyan.
The company began franchising a few months ago. In April, Dave’s inked multi-unit franchise agreements in Northern California, Portland, Oregon, and Denver.
George Almeida, who has more than 30 years of franchising experience, signed a seven-unit deal for Northern California. Alex and Joe Karcher, members of the restaurateur family behind Carl’s Jr., will open five locations in Portland. Jason Beld and Marc Rogers, who introduced Fuzzy’s Tacos in Colorado, will open 11 in the state.
In early March, the chicken brand signed deals for 10 units in Southern California. Dave’s now has 100 units under contract for development.
During the COVID-19 emergency situation, Dave’s transitioned to an off-premises only model once dining rooms closed. Off-premises represents about 35 percent of business at the low end and around 56 percent of business at the high end.
Going forward, all units will have a walk-up window for takeout and third-party delivery providers. Estimates are that 40 to 60 percent will have a drive-thru. One drive-thru location is already in the works.
Similar to larger chains like Starbucks and Chipotle, Dave’s is paying employees an additional $2 an hour during the coronavirus pandemic.
Each unit has a PathSpot hand scanner. After employees wash their hands, they place them under the scanner to ensure they remove all contaminants. Workers are also required to change gloves every 20 minutes.
