Hot chicken alert: a cult US chain could be heading to Nottingham.
Dave’s Hot Chicken, the Nashville-style sensation that started life in a Hollywood car park, has its sights set on Trinity Square, with plans submitted to take over the former Son of Steak unit in the city centre. If approved, it’ll mark another spicy step in the brand’s steady UK takeover.
Founded in Los Angeles in 2017 by three childhood friends armed with just $900, a portable fryer and a handful of folding tables, Dave’s began as a scrappy street-food setup before going seriously viral. A buzzy Instagram following and a glowing Eater LA write-up soon had queues snaking around the block – and the rest, as they say, is fried chicken history.
The mission? Simple: serve up juicy, fiery chicken that’ll ‘blow your mind’. (Subtle it is not.)
After landing in the UK in late 2024, Dave’s has been expanding at pace, with Nottingham tipped as its next stop. The city would become the brand’s second East Midlands outpost, following an existing Leicester location that opened last year – and is still going strong
Watch this space – things could be about to heat up.
What’s so special about this Dave’s Hot Chicken?
Dave’s sells Nashville-style hot chicken – deep-fried, crispy tenders coated in a fiery cayenne-heavy spice paste, but their real hook is the seven heat levels, ranging from “no spice” to the infamous “Reaper”.
The Reaper is made using extremely hot chilli blends, including Carolina Reaper pepper, which is one of the hottest chillies in the world. At many locations, you have to sign a waiver before ordering it; It’s partly legal cover, partly marketing theatre. That requirement alone has turned it into a viral talking point — and a dare.
Is this chicken bloke “Dave” a real person?
Yup. The chain is named after Dave Kopushyan, one of the four childhood friends who founded the brand in Los Angeles in 2017.
He’s the chef of the group and developed the original hot chicken recipe that made the pop-up famous. They used his name to give the brand a personal, old-school feel – like a neighbourhood chicken shop rather than a corporate chain.
Dave is still involved, just not in the day‑to‑day “running the company” sense anymore. His role today is Chief Culinary Officer. In plain terms, that means he makes sure the chicken still tastes like it did back in the early days and oversees the food, recipes and quality.
