, Australia
Jim Bitticks, President & COO, Dave's Hot Chicken.

Dave’s Hot Chicken aims 150 new stores by year-end, eyes $1.6b sales by 2026

The chain also plans to expand into India, Mexico, and across Europe.

Dave’s Hot Chicken plans to open 145 to 155 new locations by the end of the year.

“We’re at 104 so far; we've already surpassed last year's 81,” Jim Bitticks, President & COO, Dave's Hot Chicken, said during the QSR Media Conference & Awards 2025 Powered by Red Bull.

System-wide sales are projected to reach $1.2b by year-end and $1.6b in 2026.

Dave’s is also stepping up its international rollout, now operating in six countries with plans to expand into India, Mexico, and across Europe.

Its London flagship opened in December 2024, followed by new outlets in Birmingham, Manchester, and Stevenage.

The California-based fried chicken chain, partly owned by rapper Drake, now operates 360 locations globally, with more than 1,500 stores sold and about 1,200 still in the pipeline.

Founded in 2017 by Dave Kopushyan and brothers Tommy and Gary Rubenyan, Dave’s Hot Chicken began as a small East Hollywood pop-up serving Nashville-style hot chicken. Its growth has since turned it into one of the fastest-expanding U.S. food franchises.

Despite its rapid expansion, the company says it’s maintaining its focus on product quality. 

“Our North Star is mind-blowing chicken,” said Bitticks. “It’s gotta look like this, it’s gotta taste like this… We’ve been focused on not screwing up the food.”

Interestingly, Dave’s now-signature street art aesthetic was born by accident. The first restaurant’s back wall was covered in graffiti—a look that soon became part of the brand’s identity.

“We take real street artists and let them design each location,” he said. “About 98% of our restaurants have that graffiti vibe now. It’s become who we are.”

The flagship Chicago location showcases the full evolution of this design approach, merging street culture with an upscale quick-service experience.

Customer satisfaction remains a key benchmark. The chain tracks its ratings closely after early dips, improving its average store score from 3.8 to 4.7 stars through active review engagement. “Our goal this year is to hit 4.8,” he added.

Social media continues to be a core marketing tool. The brand boasts 2 million followers on Instagram and over 4 million on TikTok, where clips of customers reacting to its chicken regularly go viral.

“Usually, when you scale, quality drops,” Bitticks said. “But we haven’t screwed up the chicken—and we don’t plan to.”

Follow the link for more news on

Join QSR Media Australia community
Since you're here...

...there are many ways you can work with us to advertise your company and connect to your customers. Our team can help you design and create an advertising campaign, in print and digital, on this website and in print magazine.

We can also organize a real life or digital event for you and find thought leader speakers as well as industry leaders, who could be your potential partners, to join the event. We also run some awards programmes which give you an opportunity to be recognized for your achievements during the year and you can join this as a participant or a sponsor.

Let us help you drive your business forward with a good partnership!