With ‘cult following,’ Drake-backed new California chain to open Meridian restaurant

As the story goes, things started small — for a hot minute.

A chef named Dave and three buddies. An idea for Nashville-style spicy chicken. A food stand scrapped together for $900 in an East Hollywood parking lot.

Then came Instagram buzz. Celebrity sightings. Lines around the block.

Four years later, Dave’s Hot Chicken is a fast-growing franchise chain with dozens of locations in the United States and Canada — including one in Idaho before year’s end, if all goes according to plan.

A Dave’s restaurant is planned at 3450 N. Eagle Road in Meridian. That’s the former Kneaders Bakery & Cafe space. It’s set to open in November, according to a news release. The franchisee? Doug Davis, the man who brought Buffalo Wild Wings to Idaho and three other states.

“This concept is so exciting, and the food is so amazing, that I came out of retirement,” Davis explained in a prepared statement. “It is the best fried chicken I’ve ever had! The cool and fun vibe created by the founders will take the Treasure Valley by storm.”

Davis isn’t the only person fired up about Dave’s. Rapper Drake is a significant investor in the fast-casual chain, according to Eater/Los Angeles. Actor Samuel L. Jackson also owns a stake, the article reported.

Nashville hot chicken isn’t exactly a new trend. But it’s ... recent-ish? Either way, it’s full-on flocking to the Gem State. Clucks Nashville Hot Chicken opened its first store in Meridian last fall at 3223 E. Louise Drive, suite 100. That Idaho-created chain has another location planned at 345 S. 8th St. in downtown Boise this summer — with up to four more by the end of 2023. L.A.-based Burnin’ Mouth is headed to The Village at Meridian sometime this year. And Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken chain is set to invade this market, too, next year — although hot chicken is just one style on its menu.

What will make Dave’s Hot Chicken possibly “blow your mind,” as an Eater/LA headline screamed days after the original food stand opened? Its “incredibly craveable ‘hot and spicy’ varieties have created a cult following with rave reviews across the U.S. and Canada,” explains Dave’s website.

Tenders and sliders come in seven spice levels, all the way up to deadly Reaper. The straightforward menu also includes kale slaw, macaroni and cheese, and — oh yes, Idaho — “crispy Simplot crinkle french fries,” according to the release.

“Each piece of juicy, hand-breaded chicken utilizes a proprietary spice blend crafted specifically for its heat level. Warning, you must sign a waiver to order the Reaper, for those who dare!”

We’re not scared.

One thing is certain: By the time Dave’s opens, Nashville hot chicken competition in the Boise area will be getting seriously heated.

This story was originally published June 17, 2022 at 4:00 AM.