Dave's Hot Chicken opened its 500th restaurant in Phoenix on October 8, capping a six-month stretch in which the fast-casual chicken chain added roughly 100 units — a pace that underscores how quickly the brand has scaled since its 2017 parking-lot origins.
The Growth Numbers
Dave's Hot Chicken cleared the 400-unit mark earlier in 2026, then set a single-day record in April by opening eight restaurants simultaneously across markets ranging from Connecticut to Utah. That kind of execution velocity is rare in fast-casual franchising and signals a franchise system with real operational depth. The brand has sold development rights for more than 1,592 locations worldwide — a pipeline figure that dwarfs its current footprint and points to a sustained unit-growth runway well into the decade.
CEO Jim Bitticks credited franchisee quality and the chain's operating model for sustaining the pace. "Reaching 500 restaurants is an incredible milestone, especially when you consider where Dave's started and how quickly the brand has grown," Bitticks said. "What matters most is continuing to grow the right way — disciplined execution and ensuring every restaurant delivers the same mind-blowing experience our guests expect."
International and Non-Traditional Buildout
Beyond domestic expansion into major metro markets — New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas — Dave's has pushed into non-traditional venues, including major airport locations, which typically deliver above-average AUV given captive traffic patterns. Internationally, the brand is active in Canada and the Middle East and made its European debut with a flagship on London's Shaftesbury Avenue. That opening anchored a 60-restaurant area development agreement across the U.K. and Ireland. Dave's has since extended its partnership with Azzurri Group through an additional 180-restaurant agreement spanning 10 European countries, including France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal, and the Netherlands — a commitment that ranks among the more ambitious fast-casual international deals in recent memory.
Co-founder Arman Oganesyan noted that the brand's founding obsession with product quality remains the operational anchor despite the scale shift. "The scale has changed, but the energy and obsession with the food that got us started are still at the heart of who we are," he said.
What's Next for Franchising
Dave's is actively recruiting operators for underpenetrated domestic markets, specifically identifying Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico as priority development targets. The franchise model includes national and local marketing support, site-selection assistance, and proven systems — standard infrastructure for a brand competing for qualified multi-unit operators against other high-velocity fast-casual concepts in the chicken segment.
The chain's trajectory puts it in conversation with category peers that have executed rapid unit growth through aggressive area development agreements and asset-light franchise structures. For prospective franchisees evaluating chicken-segment opportunities, Dave's development pipeline and international momentum represent a material differentiator. Operators interested in franchise development can find more information at daveshotchicken.com/franchising.
For more on fast-casual unit growth trends and franchisee development activity, see Foodservice News coverage of /fast-casual/franchise-development and /chain-restaurants/unit-growth.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
