Dave's Hot Chicken franchise group plans Springfield restaurant

Franchisees of Los Angeles-based Dave’s Hot Chicken are planning to bring a store to Springfield, the company announced.

A news release issued this morning indicates a franchise group led by business partners Deryl Pangelinan, Sean Varvello, Andrew Feghali and Lawrence Kourie is expanding its Dave’s Hot Chicken portfolio with seven new locations in Arkansas and Springfield. The group was the first to franchise Dave’s Hot Chicken in 2020, starting with San Diego County, California, and expanding to Georgia, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico, with deals signed for Alabama, Florida and Virginia.

Of the seven new restaurants announced in the release, one would be located in Springfield, with the rest in Arkansas, said Cia Abulencia, public relations associate for All Points Public Relations on behalf of Dave's Hot Chicken. Abulencia said the site selection process is underway for the Springfield restaurant.

“We couldn’t be more excited to see Deryl, Sean, Andrew and Lawrence lead the charge to build out locations in Arkansas and Springfield,” said Bill Phelps, CEO of Dave’s Hot Chicken, in the release. “By acquiring the market and spearheading this new development, they are key players in extending Dave’s Hot Chicken’s footprint in a way that aligns with our long-term growth strategy.”

With 275 units expected to be operational by the end of the year, Dave’s Hot Chicken currently has around 218 restaurants in the United States, Canada and Middle East, according to the release. The restaurant is known for Nashville-style hot chicken that started as a street food concept before expanding into the fast-casual realm.

The company’s website lists an existing Missouri store in Kansas City.