Hottest chicken chain around heads to Colorado Springs

Jessica Van Dyne, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·3 min read

Jun. 2—America's fastest growing restaurant chain, according to Technomic, a foodservice research firm, will join other burger and chicken joints' craze for Colorado Springs.

Dave's Hot Chicken, a spicy, fried chicken concept that originated as a parking lot stand in Los Angeles during 2017, has since grown into a worldwide, fast-casual franchise with over 700 locations from Denver to Dubai.

Seventy more Dave's Hot Chicken restaurants are planned to open this year, including one on Colorado Springs' north side in September.

Jay Hafemeister and his father, Jim Hafemeister, longtime residents and partners in JH Foods Ltd., a family-run franchisee with 11 Carl's Jr. locations in the Springs area, will open the first Dave's Hot Chicken restaurant in the city at 1286 InterQuest Parkway near Scheels Sporting Goods.

Anticipated to open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., the 2,500-square-foot space will feature a drive-thru and employ about 60 workers, Jay said.

Jay worked on bringing Dave's Hot Chicken to the area for over two years and was drawn to the concept because of the chain's food, story and branding, he said.

"I think for us it's just the uniqueness of the brand," Jay said. "The food stands alone, it's a very unique offering compared to the rest of the chicken offerings out there."

Focused on chicken tenders and sliders, Dave's Hot Chicken menu leans toward simplicity, with a handful of sides and milkshakes, Jay said.

But when it comes to heat, the restaurant offers seven levels of spice ranging from no spice to Reaper, which requires a signed waiver to eat, according to a company new release.

Dave Kopushyan, the company's namesake chef, developed the recipes and started the business with three other friends in an East Hollywood parking lot with a fryer, according to the company's website.

Since then, the stand grew from parking lot to shop and eventually to franchise with the help of Wetzel's Pretzels co-founder and former CEO Bill Phelps, and movie producer John Davis, the release said. The company now has investors such as hip-hop star Drake and saw 156% total sales growth in 2022 compared to 2021, the release said.

The Colorado Springs location, similar to all Dave's Hot Chicken locations, will be decorated with street art painted by Splatter Haus, an L.A.-based team flown to all Dave's Hot Chicken to custom design each location's art, Jay said.

"We really believe in Colorado Springs," Jay said. "It's a big part of who we are. We're here we're local and that's a big part of us and that's why we want to continue to bring unique restaurants to the market."

More locations are planned to come to the El Paso County area, Jay said. Jay and his ownership group will look to develop up to four more locations in the area, the release from Dave's Hot Chicken said.

Dave's Hot Chicken is the latest addition in a string of chicken-centric eateries coming to Colorado Springs following Chicken Salad Chick from Alabama, Louisiana-based Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers, Slim Chickens of Arkansas and Denver-based Birdcall. Chick-fil-A, KFC and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen are among well-known national brands with multiple locations in the Springs.