Dive Brief:
- Dave’s Hot Chicken has signed a 60-unit franchising deal with the Azzurri Group covering the United Kingdom and Ireland, according to a Monday press release.
- The first of these units is set to open in London in Q1 2025, according to the press release.
- The franchising deal is a major international leap for Dave’s, though not its first. The hot chicken brand does have stores in Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
Dive Insight:
Dave’s Hot Chicken has grown rapidly over the past few years, and its partnership with an experienced operator will help it extend into a new market. Azzurri Group operates more than 230 outlets across a variety of brands, including full-service brands and a fast casual Mexican chain, Boojum, based in Ireland. Azzurri’s large footprint in the two countries could make it easier for the group to quickly expand.
According to its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, Dave’s total unit count jumped from 96 at the start of 2023 to 169 at year’s end; sixty eight of the 73 Dave’s opened in 2023 were franchised. The press release said it currently has over 200 units open. It plans to open 90 locations this year and has sold the rights to over 700 franchised units in the U.S., Middle East and Canada.
The brand has bolstered its franchising program in part by involving its C-suite as franchisees — a practice Dave’s says ensure a familiarity with operational problems and brand strengths. This close attention to franchising meant Dave’s leadership was intimately involved with franchisee efforts to reshape operations in California ahead of that state’s implementation of a $20 fast food minimum wage.
Dave’s isn’t the only American chicken brand to eye a permanent base in the British Isles. Chick-fil-A is also planning to open its first permanent U.K. store next year. Popeyes entered the U.K. in 2021 and reached the 50-store milestone earlier this year.
