The 4 Countries That Have Dave's Hot Chicken Restaurants (Aside From The US)
Have you tried the spicy food of Dave's Hot Chicken? If not, you're missing out on a Nashville-hot-chicken-style treat that even many celebrities love. In fact, almost 80 new locations opened in 2023 alone. At least 700 locations are planned for the future, and many stores already opened in the U.S. and four other countries (Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia), meaning there is no shortage of places to enjoy its flavorful offerings.
The restaurant got its start in 2017 when two brothers, Gary and Tommy Rubenyan, first set up their makeshift chicken stand for Dave's Hot Chicken, along with friends Dave Kopushyan and Arman Oganesyn. At the time, chef Kopushyan and the other three men couldn't possibly have known how big the return would be on their small investment of $900 or that it would quickly become a global phenomenon.
By 2022, over 31 million Dave's Hot Chicken customers had taken to social media to sing the chain's praises. Of course, it helps that several of those customers were also famous people. It's no wonder the chain has gone international.
How Dave's Hot Chicken expanded
With celebrities like Drake, Usher, Michael Strahan, Samuel L. Jackson, and Maria Shriver supporting Dave's Hot Chicken as investors, it didn't take long for it to become a big deal all over the world. By 2023, Dave's had already signed an agreement with famous franchiser Walid Hajj to open at least 31 new locations in six countries, including Kuwait and Bahrain (still to be completed).
This came after another deal, to open 30 locations in Canada, had already been struck. The new locations in the Middle East are expected to reach completion within eight years. Dave's Hot Chicken has also reported plans to open seven more locations in St Louis. Meanwhile, locations in Saudi Arabia took things a step further and offered its patrons home delivery of its chicken. It's also great news for Muslim customers in the Middle East and elsewhere in the world that — according to several different sources, including store owners – Dave's Hot Chicken serves halal meat. As of April 2024, there were just under 200 Dave's Hot Chicken locations worldwide, with many more to come!