Dave’s Hot Chicken, the fast-casual Nashville-style hot fried chicken restaurant, is planning to open on Route 58 in Riverhead next year.
The restaurant will join QDOBA Mexican Eats as the two eateries replacing Friendly’s at 949 Old Country Road, where Friendly’s lease expires at the end of this year.
Jeff Froccaro, president of Burger Brothers Restaurant Group, the franchisee for both Dave’s Hot Chicken and QDOBA, said the company is aiming for a second quarter opening next year.
The Dave’s brand is “doing extremely well,” Froccaro said. Burger Brothers owns Dave’s restaurants in Fresh Meadows in Queens and in Carle Place in Nassau County, and both locations are “doing phenomenal,” he said. The company is also opening one in Deer Park.
“It’s a great product — super fresh, great portion size and the spice levels are great,” Froccaro said.
The Dave’s Hot Chicken menu features chicken sliders, tenders and tender bites, offered in seven spice levels running from “no spice” to “reaper” — the latter so hot it requires the customer to sign a waiver. The restaurant also offers vegetarian cauliflower sliders and bites, seasoned and fried with the same spices as the chicken. Several sides, slushies and milkshakes are also on the menu.
Dave’s Hot Chicken was founded in 2017 by three childhood friends, who began serving their hot chicken in a parking lot in Los Angeles, according to the company. The concept took off and the chain’s first restaurant opened in East Hollywood shortly after.
The company started franchising in 2019, and has sold its franchise rights to more than 1,000 locations in the U.S., Middle East, Europe and Canada. More than 130 Dave’s locations are expected to open this year, according to a spokesperson.
Earlier this year, private equity firm Roark Capital acquired Dave’s Hot Chicken for $1 billion. Dave’s has several celebrity investors, including hip-hop star Drake and actor Samuel L. Jackson.
Last year, the owner of the Route 58 building occupied by Friendy’s was granted approval to renovate the structure at 949 Old Country Road and divide the space into two separate restaurants. One is planned to be a QDOBA with a drive-thru window, while the other was initially described as an unspecified traditional restaurant with 50 indoor seats.
An application seeking approval for facade renovations for Dave’s Hot Chicken was filed with the Riverhead Planning Department on Aug. 28. The application must be approved by the town before the restaurant can open.
“We’re optimistic that everything’s going to move smoothly,” Froccaro said.
Riverhead is a “great market” for a restaurant like Dave’s,” Froccaro said. “The demographics are great for us. There’s a younger audience, there’s the working class people, [and] a lot of offices and businesses. So we think it’s a great mix for us.”
Friendly’s will close at the end of the year, when its lease expires, a company spokesperson told RiverheadLOCAL last year. Friendly’s has been a Route 58 fixture for nearly 40 years.
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