Daves Hot Chicken

Dave's Hot Chicken is a fast-casual phenomenon founded in 2017 in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, by chef Dave Kopushyan (a French Laundry alumnus) and three partners who started with only $900 and a parking lot. The brand's Nashville-style hot chicken tenders and sliders, offered at seven heat levels, drove expansion to Las Vegas and across hundreds of locations globally. Backed by celebrity investors and acquired by Roark Capital in 2025 at a $1 billion valuation, it is one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in American history.

Fried Chicken SandwichChicken Tenders