Popular hot chicken chain debuts new restaurant near Charlotte. What to know

Dave’s Hot Chicken officially opened the doors on a new restaurant in Gastonia on Friday, April 17, marking its fifth Charlotte-area location.

The fast-casual chain, known for its Nashville-style hot chicken, set up shop at 2230 E. Franklin Blvd. It’s one of eight new locations slated to open for business, joining spots in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Minnesota, New York and Utah, USA Today reported.

“We’re super excited about this one, so tag absolutely EVERYBODY who needs to know and see you on Friday,” management said of the Gastonia restaurant in a message posted to Instagram this week.

Every Dave’s restaurant is unique. In Gastonia, foodies will notice “nods to the county’s textile history” alongside bold graffiti art representing the brand’s other locations, the Gaston Gazette reported. Some even feature franchisees’ names and dates of when their restaurants first opened.

The chicken tenders and sliders are the star of the menu, and customers can choose from dry rubs ranging from “no spice” to “reaper.” Each slider is served on a potato bun with kale slaw, pickles and a drizzle of Dave’s sauce, the restaurant’s website says.

Beyond hot chicken, customers will find mozzarella sticks, saucy nuggets, loaded mac and cheese, and French fries. There’s even “Dave’s Not Chicken,” a vegetarian-friendly menu option made with thick-cut, breaded cauliflower.

Wash it all down with a milkshake, or a Dave’s slusher drink.

The Gastonia restaurant joins other Dave’s locations across Charlotte, including spots in Wedgewood, University City and Plaza Midwood, and one in nearby Rock Hill, SC. It will be open Sunday-Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Friday-Saturday from 11 a.m. until midnight.

CharlotteFive reached out to Dave’s Hot Chicken for more information and was awaiting a response.

Dave’s Hot Chicken

Location: 2230 E Franklin Blvd suite 140, Gastonia, NC 28054 (now open)

Location: 1300 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205

Location: 9711 Northlake Centre Pkwy Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28216

Location: 8932 J M Keynes Dr #100, Charlotte, NC 28262

Location: 2476 Cherry Rd, Rock Hill, SC 29730

Menu

Cuisine: Nashville-style hot chicken

Instagram: @daveshotchicken

Tanasia Kenney

Sun Herald

Tanasia is a service journalism reporter at the Charlotte Observer | CharlotteFive, working remotely from Atlanta, Georgia. She covers restaurant openings/closings in Charlotte and statewide explainers for the NC Service Journalism team. She’s been with McClatchy since 2020.