An agreement with the original franchisees of Dave’s Hot Chicken will bring nine locations of the chicken restaurant to Georgia.
Eight of the new locations will be in East Atlanta, and one will be coming to Athens.
Dave’s Hot Chicken first made waves as a parking lot pop-up in Los Angeles before being franchised in 2020 when the concept was brought to San Diego. Deryl Pangelinan, Tim Velleca, Andrew Feghali and Lawrence Kourie are behind the new locations coming to the Peach State.
“Existing franchisees are the bloodline of our franchise model, and we are thrilled that Deryl, Tim, Andrew and Lawrence are continuing to add to their portfolio and grow their success as operators, while expanding the Dave’s Hot Chicken footprint to new markets,” Bill Phelps, CEO of Dave’s Hot Chicken, said in a press release. “We know that they are proven operators, and we have full confidence in introducing our brand to soon-to-be Dave’s Hot Chicken fanatics in the East Atlanta market.”
Pangelinan and Velleca told What Now Atlanta that the area was a highly desirable place to expand the brand, with Atlanta being the most requested place in the U.S. to bring Dave’s Hot Chicken.
“We want to make sure we hit the market as strategically as possible,” Pangelinan said.
They are working now on finding sites for the locations, with the first one likely to open in Conyers.
“Being the first franchise group, we’re very tied to the founders,” Pangelinan told What Now Atlanta. He said they are excited to help continue the success of the brand and to “put more smiles on people’s faces in Atlanta.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken was founded by Arman Oganesyan and classically trained chef Dave Kopushyan, along with Tommy and Gary Rubenyan, in 2017. Dave’s Hot Chicken now has more than 120 locations in the U.S. and Canada. An additional 75 locations will be opened this year, according to the press release. The company has been backed by rapper Drake.
The brand specializes in hot chicken tenders and sliders, with spice levels ranging from “No Spice” to “Reaper.”
Earlier in August, What Now Atlanta reported on a multi-unit deal with Vision Food Group for eight Dave’s Hot Chicken locations in Georgia. Those locations are planned for Fulton, Forsyth, Cobb, Douglas and Cherokee counties.
One Response
Looks like the author may not be familiar with Atlanta. It seems that these locations are ‘east of Atlanta’ and not in the neighborhood of ‘East Atlanta’. Conyers is ‘east of Atlanta’ about 22 miles from East Atlanta.