GoKawiilDave's Hot Chicken opens 500th restaurant in Phoenix
Dave's Hot Chicken opened its 500th location on October 8 in Phoenix, according to Food & Beverage Magazine. The chain started in 2017 when three friends launched it with $900 and portable fryers in an East Hollywood parking lot, later franchising with Wetzel's Pretzels co-founder Bill Phelps and selling a majority stake to private equity firm Roark Capital in 2025 at roughly a $1 billion valuation.