Dave's Hot Chicken moves into Columbus with big plans
With one store open and two in development, Dave's Hot Chicken hopes to gobble up a significant share of the quick-serve poultry market in the Columbus area.
To many observers, that would be a feat, considering the local chicken landscape that includes Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and local favorite Hot Chicken Takeover and newcomer Just Chicken.
Dave's first store opened Sept. 30 at 3590 W. Dublin-Granville Road in a vacant Payless shoe store building. It is 3,200 square feet and has a drive-thru, an uncommon feature for the California-based chain, said Josh Huth, regional manager for franchisee Pizza Hut Fort Wayne.
The chain, which got its start in 2017 as a pop-up in East Hollywood, plans 12 to 15 more stores in the Columbus area in the next five years, Huth said.
"I think people love chicken," said Huth, whose industry experience includes Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar, BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse and Condado Tacos.
"We have a lot of things going for us," he said. "The food does the speaking for itself."
What makes Dave's Hot Chicken, which offers a Nashville-hot experience, different than most of its competitors is its use of halal chicken tenders, or those processed in the Islamic tradition.
"With that, we pay more for our chicken but it's selective in what we get," Huth said.
They're also a standard 4 1/2 inches long or larger; if they're 3 inches, customers get two.
The tenders, brined and lightly battered, get a wet marinade before frying.
"I would say it's crispy, not crunchy," Huth said.
Other than the two mildest flavors, no spice and light mild, the chicken is dipped in and served with a choice of sauce. The hottest is reaper, named after the punishing Carolina pepper. Huth said to tread lightly because it will test the steeliest of spice hounds.
"I think it really depends on the palate and what you've grown up with," he said.
The menu is simple: chicken is served in slider or sandwich form, or by itself, but always with plain bread. Sides include mac and cheese, kale slaw and fries. Milkshakes are part of the beverage lineup.
Dave's first Columbus-area store opened Sept. 30 and restaurants are planned for campus area and in the Westar Neighborhood Retail Center east of Interstate 71.
The concept got its start after friends Arman Oganesyan, Tommy and Gary Rubenyan, and chef Dave Kobushyan, cobbled together $900 to launch the concept in a parking lot. It wasn't until a year later that the first brick-and-mortar restaurant open.
Now there are roughly 80 Dave's Hot Chicken stores open internationally, including in Canada and Dubai.
The location on the Northwest Side, a little larger than the average prototype, is energetic with graffiti murals, industrial metal paneling, rock and roll on the sound system and a semi-open kitchen.
"We think the vibe is very youthful, fun and trendy," Huth said.
Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10:30 am. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. For more information, call 380-203-0799.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: California hot chicken chain launches big push into Columbus
