It mostly advertises through social-media channels like Instagram and Twitter, and has sold the franchise rights for more than 500 locations in the U.S. The company’s leadership team has founded and led other restaurant companies including Wetzel’s Pretzels and Blaze Pizza.ĭave’s Hot Chicken sells sliders, crinkle-cut fries and spicy tenders. It has invested “more than US$10 million” to grow in the U.S. The company didn’t give further details about his stake.ĭave’s Hot Chicken has posted a net loss of about US$1.9 million so far in 2021 on revenue of nearly US$9.1 million, the company said in an email. He has 39 million followers on Twitter and 92 million on Instagram.ĭrake will own less than 50 per cent of the company, but will be among the biggest investors alongside Werner and Jackson.

in its first week - the biggest opening since Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” last year. His most recent album, released earlier this month, sold the equivalent of 613,000 copies in the U.S. After meeting the founders and hearing their story, I jumped at the opportunity to invest,” Drake said in a statement.ĭrake’s involvement will likely give the chain a celebrity boost. Drake, one of the world’s best-selling musicians, has already posted a picture of himself with chicken tenders, pickles and fries from Dave’s on Instagram.

Launched in 2017, the chicken chain now has 22 locations mostly in California and is planning 25 more by the end of the year, with expansion to cities including Chicago and Houston. Jackson.ĭave’s Hot Chicken is following a celebrity-driven playbook that’s similar to that of Blaze Pizza, which shares a leadership team with Dave’s and counts NBA superstar LeBron James as an investor. Drake, the Canadian hip-hop star, is taking a minority stake in Dave’s Hot Chicken, the fried-chicken chain that’s backed by investors such as Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner and actor Samuel L.

Dave's hot chicken coming soon