Dave’s Hot Chicken, a Los Angeles-based fast casual chain, has finalized an agreement with the UK-based Azzurri Group to develop 180 restaurants across 10 European countries.
The deal will bring the brand’s Nashville-style hot chicken to France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey. Azzurri Group, a major European hospitality company, will partner with local operators in each market to open the new locations.
“This is a once-in-a-generation brand,” Steve Holmes, CEO of Azzurri Group, said in a company press release. “Dave’s Hot Chicken has all the ingredients for international success — unforgettable food, massive cultural resonance and an incredibly scalable model.”
The expansion follows Dave’s debut in the United Kingdom, where a flagship London location and two other restaurants in Birmingham and Manchester have exceeded expectations, said Bill Phelps, CEO of Dave’s Hot Chicken
“Azzurri has proven itself as a best-in-class operator with deep expertise in brand building and market execution,” he said in the release.
Founded in 2017 as a parking lot pop-up, Dave’s Hot Chicken has since grown to more than 1,020 franchise locations sold worldwide, with more than 70 locations planned to open this year. The brand has attracted high-profile investors, including Drake, Usher, Samuel L. Jackson and Maria Shriver.
It topped the list of 2025 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers & Shakers, and in June, chose an investment from Roark, the Atlanta-based private equity firm, which recently purchased Subway, to fuel domestic and international growth.
Source: Fast Casual
