Dave’s Hot Chicken
Kale Slaw
Mac n’ Cheese
French Fries
Lite Mild Chicken Tenders
Mild Chicken Tenders
Medium Chicken Tenders
Hot Chicken Tenders
Extra Hot Chicken Tenders
Reaper Chicken Tenders
Strawberry Milkshake
Vanilla Milkshake
Chocolate Milkshake
With over 300 franchise licenses sold across America it seems safe to say a Dave’s Hot Chicken will be nearby soon, the Los Angeles late-night pop-up born in 2017 recruiting Hollywood backers and Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder Bill Phelps to “blow their minds” with a Nashville staple.
Founded by four friends in a parking lot, Arman Oganesyan and Chef Dave Kopushyan the most prominent names, Dave’s specializes in Tenders, Sliders, three Sides and Shakes, a rubber Chicken logo and audacious decorations making each location not only impossible to ignore, but distinct.
Offered at seven spice levels ranging “No Spice” to “Reaper,” the latter once requiring a signed waiver, Dave’s embodies “quick-casual” by way of hand-breading and housemade verbiage, though by all intents and purposes both speed and service are basically good ol’ Fast Food.
Undoubtedly benefitted by Social Media and branding, a look at the brand’s #instagram loaded with influencers, it was with each of Dave’s spice profiles ordered that six diners partook in tasting, lite-mild and mild largely indistinguishable though the Chicken itself was generously portioned and quite moist.
A little warmer with mild, though still a notch below Hattie B’s or Prince’s in Music City, “Hot” finally achieves a burn on the lips that is easily extinguished by Pickles or flaccid crinkle-cut Fries.
Using White Bread to support the Poultry, all deposited in the trash along with insipid Mac n’ Cheese no better than Kraft, Kale Slaw is better than expected and useful when transitioning to Extra Hot or Reaper which mostly numbs the tongue and lips within a few moments before slowly trailing off.
Certified halal, and open from 11:00am daily since early July, those fancying something sweet can get their fix with one of three Milkshakes, the Chocolate overly-sweet but plenty thick while Vanilla and Strawberry fare better in terms of natural flavor amidst their creamy base.
THREE STARS: An “American Dream” story for ownership, as a franchise Dave’s Hot Chicken seems less compelling, with juicy Flesh but spice profiles less complex than Nashville’s “hot spots” and sides that are (at best) forgettable.
RECOMMENDED: Hot Chicken, Extra Hot Chicken, Strawberry Milkshake, Vanilla Milkshake.
AVOID: Lite-Mild, Mild, Fries, Mac n’ Cheese.
TIP: Online ordering available.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.
www.daveshotchicken.com