Dave’s Hot Chicken intends to open at St. Johns Town Center, the first Jacksonville location for the Pasadena, California-based restaurant company.
The more than 200-unit chain applied for permit review to build-out the 2,697-square-foot space at 10261 River Marsh Drive, No. 137, which is at a corner next to PetSmart and Firehouse Subs.
The estimated project cost is $250,000, which is subject to change as the permit is reviewed.
Simon Property Group is the landlord. GRA Design Studio of Bound Brook, New Jersey, is the architect.
T-Mobile previously occupied the space, permit records show. T-Mobile now operates along Town Center Parkway.
Dave’s Hot Chicken franchises its units. The Jacksonville owner-operator is GQ Chicken.
The company serves tenders, sliders, fries, kale slaw and macaroni and cheese.
The seven spice levels range from no spice to “Reaper.”
The DavesHotChicken.com site shows 200 locations and 10 coming soon in 32 states and Washington, D.C.
There are 12 locations open or coming soon internationally.
The six Florida locations are in Altamonte Springs, Gainesville, Lake Mary, Orlando and two in Tampa. Another is slated for an Aug. 2 grand opening in Pembroke Pines.
The Orlando online menu shows that meals start with Dave’s #1 of two tenders and fries at $12.69. A single tender with bread is $4.99 and a slider with kale slaw is $6.99.
Shakes start at $3.99, and the “feed a crowd” menu includes a $45 “hot box” of 10 tenders.
RestaurantNews.com reported in May 2022 that Arman Oganesyan and best friend chef Dave Kopushyan, along with brothers Tommy and Gary Rubenyan, launched Dave’s Hot Chicken in a parking lot pop-up in 2017.
The site reported that Dave’s Hot Chicken opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in East Hollywood, California.
In 2019, the team struck a deal with Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder and former CEO Bill Phelps and movie producer John Davis to begin franchising Dave’s Hot Chicken throughout the U.S. and beyond, the restaurant news site said.
It said the company had sold the rights to more than 700 franchise locations in the U.S. and Canada.
The site said additional brand investors included former California first lady Maria Shriver, Red Sox owner Tom Werner, actor Samuel L. Jackson and Good Morning America anchor and retired NFL player Michael Strahan.
IFPG.com, the site for the International Franchise Professionals Group, says celebrity investors include Canadian rapper, singer and actor Drake.
