Another hot chicken restaurant is coming to SLO. Here’s where

Another chicken restaurant, fast-growing Nashville-style cookery Dave’s Hot Chicken, is coming to San Luis Obispo.

The Los Angeles-based company has leased the former Panera Bread location that closed last summer in the Madonna Plaza, next to Chipotle. The space is 4000 square feet with room for sit-down dining or takeout.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is the second spicy Southern-style chicken eatery to land in SLO with Jay Bird’s Nashville Hot Chicken opening its doors for takeout in the San Luis Obispo Public Market on South Higuera Street earlier this month.

Dave’s took out a $250,000 tenant improvement permit at the building at 299 Madonna Road early this month.

The chain opened 33 locations in 2021 despite the downward effect on the restaurant business because of the pandemic and said it plans to open 85 franchise locations this year.

Dave’s was founded in Hollywood by three buddies in 2017.

The restaurant reports the majority of its orders have come online, helping it to survive the worst of the COVID-19 shutdown.

The closest Dave’s is in Port Hueneme with the bulk of the restaurants in the Los Angeles area.

The chain is moving north into the San Joaquin Valley too with a location coming to Visalia.

Investors in Dave’s also launched Blaze Pizza in California. Stores are being opened nationwide as well.

The fried chicken comes in a variety of intensities covered with a rich paste heavy on cayenne, giving it its red pigment. Dave’s advertises that each piece is topped with their own mix of spices ranging from No Spice to “The Reaper.”

A third Nashville-style chicken eatery is moving into California as well.

Angry Chickz has 19 locations in places such as Hollywood, Glendale, Van Nuys, San Jose, Fresno, Modesto, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Hanford, Visalia and Oceanside with more locations coming, including Tulare, Stockton, Oceanside and Corona.

This story was originally published March 21, 2022 at 11:53 AM with the headline "Another hot chicken restaurant is coming to SLO. Here’s where."