Drake's favorite destination for Nashville-style hot chicken makes its Bayou City debut this week. Dave's Hot Chicken will open its first Houston-area location this Friday, September 24 in west Houston (12161 Westheimer Rd.).
Founded in 2017 by Dave Kopushyan — a classically trained chef and veteran of Thomas Keller’s Bouchon restaurant — Dave’s serves halal chicken tenders and sandwiches at seven difference spice levels that each has their own recipes. The menu also includes sides such as kale slaw, mac and cheese, crispy fries, and cheese fries, as well as milkshakes.
Initially opened as a food truck, Dave’s has grown to multiple brick and mortar locations across Southern California. This week, the company announced that hip-hop superstar Drake has become one of its largest investors.
“I tried the food and it was amazing,” Drake said in a statement. “After meeting the founders and hearing their story, I jumped at the opportunity to invest.”
So far, the company has signed leases for six Houston-area restaurants and is negotiating for even more. In addition to the Westchase store, the company will open at the following locations:
- 2525 Rice Blvd. (co-tenancy with Velvet Taco)
- 614 Dennis St. (The Crossing at Midtown)
- 6324 Highway 6 South (Missouri City)
- 15245 Wallisville Rd.
- 20740 Kuykendahl Rd. (Spring)
- 148 El Dorado Blvd. (Webster)
A representative tells CultureMap that the Midtown location will open next in late October or early November. Rice Village and Wallisville Road will follow by the end of the year. As seen in the photo above, Dave's works with local graffiti artists to decor each store, which gives each one a distinct look.
Dave's opens in Houston on Friday.
