Another US fast food chain is to launch in the UK with plans for 60 new restaurants following Popeyes and Chick Fil A
The UK fast food scene is set to welcome a new American sensation.
Dave’s Hot Chicken has announced plans to open 60 restaurants across the UK and Ireland.
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This expansion follows the successful launch of US Popeyes brands and the imminent launch of Chick-fil-A in the UK.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is known in the United States for its huge hot chicken sliders, tenders and bites.
The brand also offers sides like house-made kale salad, creamy mac and cheese, and crispy, seasoned fries.
The chain’s chicken comes in seven spice levels, from zero to extra spicy, the latter requiring a signed waiver because of its intense heat.
Dave’s Hot Chicken has partnered with the Azzurri Group to lead its UK rollout.
The first restaurant is expected to open in London in the first quarter of 2025.
This will happen around the same time that Chick-fil-A is expected to open its first branch in the UK.
The Azzurri Group is already a major player in the UK hospitality sector.
It owns the well-known brands Zizzi, ASK Italian, Coco di Mama and Boojum.
Azzurri employs more than 6,000 people in 230 restaurants and stores and serves more than 15 million meals a year.
Steve Holmes, Azzurri Group Managing Director, said: “When we first tried Dave’s Hot Chicken we were blown away as it was one of the most mouth-watering and delicious dishes we have ever had.
“We are delighted to bring this incredible brand to the UK and to be their partner in this ambitious rollout.”
Bill Phelps, Managing Director of Dave’s Hot Chicken, added: “The flavour of Dave’s Hot Chicken resonates across borders, and we look forward to the opening of the first UK store soon.”
The brand began in 2017 as a late-night pop-up in a parking lot, founded by three childhood friends—chef Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, and Tommy Rubenyan—who raised $900 to launch the business.
Dave’s Hot Chicken quickly gained popularity, leading to the opening of a brick-and-mortar restaurant in East Hollywood.
In 2019, the founders partnered with Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder Bill Phelps to launch the franchise.
The brand has since attracted celebrity investors including Drake, Samuel L. Jackson and Usher.
It currently operates in 200 restaurants across the United States.
But it’s not the only American fast food chain to have made the leap across the Atlantic in recent years.
EXPANSION OF FAST FOOD
Popeyes entered the UK market in 2021 and has proven to be a hit with hungry customers ever since.
In just 30 months, the brand has opened over 38 restaurants across the UK.
The company plans to reach the 60-restaurant mark by the end of 2024.
American burger chain Wendy’s, which already has 31 sites in the UK, will also open eight new outlets this year.
The chain returned to UK high streets in 2021 after a 20-year hiatus.
Wendy’s is best known for its square-shaped hamburgers, designed to maximize the amount of meat in each bite.
Famous for its chicken sandwiches and soon to hit high streets across the UK, we visited Chick-fil-A’s top-secret US headquarters ahead of its UK arrival.
The US fast food giant is expected to open its first UK site in early 2025 and four more in the following two years.
What is Chick-fil-A?
CHICK-FIL-A is an American fast food restaurant specializing in chicken sandwiches.
The restaurant was originally founded in College Park, Georgia as Dwarf Grill in 1946 before eventually being renamed Chick-Fil-A in 1967.
The fast food chain operates more than 3,000 restaurants, primarily in the United States, with locations in 48 states.
They also have branches in Puerto Rico and Canada.
Chick-fil-A also offers catering services for parties and events in the United States.
The brand has always closed on Sundays after its founder, Truett Cathy, made the decision to do so in 1946.
Having worked seven days a week in 24-hour restaurants, Truett saw the importance of closing on Sundays so he and his employees could set aside a day to rest, enjoy time with family and loved ones, or worship if they chose.
The decision to open in the UK comes after Chick-fil-A opened a temporary pop-up branch in Reading in 2019.
However, the downtown restaurant closed after its six-month lease expired in 2020.
The move follows controversy over comments by the company’s then-CEO, Dan Cathy, opposing same-sex marriage.
While we don’t yet know where Chick-fil-A plans to open its new restaurants in the UK, the company told The Sun that they will be strategically located across the UK to give everyone access to the brand.
As in the United States, restaurants in the United Kingdom will be closed on Sunday.
The chain’s most popular menu items, including the Chick-fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich, Nuggets, Waffle Fries and Deluxe Spicy Chicken Sandwich, will all appear on UK high streets in 2025.
Shake Shack, which started as a hot dog stand, recently opened its first restaurant in a UK train station.
Britons travelling through St. Pancras International Station can now enjoy their favourite burgers before boarding their train.
The new spot marks the fast food giant’s 16th location in the UK since it launched in Covent Garden in 2013.
This is the brand’s second branch within a travel hub – joining the one at Gatwick Airport’s North Terminal.
While most of Shake Shack’s UK sites are based in London, in recent years bosses have expanded to other locations including Essex, Oxford and Cardiff.
Shake Shack’s humble beginnings can be traced back to a New York City hot dog cart run by Randy Garutti.
Danny Meyer’s current COO of Union Square Hospitality Group owns 430 restaurants worldwide.
Wingstop, which currently operates 39 sites across the UK, is expected to open a further 15 in 2024.
Lemon Pepper Holdings, which manages the fast food chain’s UK portfolio, said the move would create up to 750 jobs.
The US hotel brand said it was its biggest year of expansion since Wingstop launched in the UK six years ago.
Dunkin’ Donuts, which currently has 30 stores in the UK, is hoping to open 30 new branches over the next two years as part of a major expansion plan.
Dunkin’ Donuts first arrived in the UK at St John’s in Liverpool in May 2016.
The chain is huge in the United States, where it has nearly 9,500 stores spread across the country.
It sells a range of doughnuts and other treats as well as hot and cold drinks.
