Dave’s Hot Chicken Expanding to Mira Mesa and El Cajon

San Diego has been flooded with fried chicken in all forms, from classic Southern to Nashville hot, Korean, and more. Dave’s Hot Chicken, which gained fame in Los Angeles for its interpretation of Nashville’s wildly-popular style, landed in Pacific Beach in May and has been rapidly expanding to cities across the country, from Vegas to Chicago.

With several well-known celebrities as investors, the fast-casual chain, which originated in East Hollywood, serves a straightforward menu of fried chicken tenders and sliders that can be spiced with varying levels of heat.

Local franchisees Andrew Feghali and Lawrence Joseph Kourie brought Dave’s Hot Chicken to San Diego and plan to open a dozen locations in the area. Next up for the partners is an outpost in Mira Mesa, where it will replace Daphne’s California Greek in the Mira Mesa Market Center on Westview Parkway. The eatery is also going into a new space in Fletcher Plaza in El Cajon near The Home Depot. The company tells Eater that both spots are slated for early 2021 openings.

Mike Moser of Retail Insite facilitated both leases and shared, “Dave’s Hot Chicken will be a great new tenant. Ownership of both centers is excited to see the additional traffic that they will generate.”