A popular hot chicken restaurant is coming to 5 new spots in the Charlotte area
Hot chicken fans across the Charlotte area are in luck. A popular restaurant that specializes in spicy tenders and sliders is expanding to five new locations, doubling the number of spots where you can grab a bite.
Dave’s Hot Chicken’s new Steele Creek restaurant soft opens first on Thursday, May 28, with a grand opening the next day. The location on Rigsby Road near Charlotte Premium Outlets is among several new locations opening nationwide. And a Gastonia location just opened in April.
The fast-growing chain that got its start in East Hollywood offers a lineup of meals with chicken tenders and sliders with fries.
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Other options include Dave’s Not Chicken tenders and sliders — made with cauliflower but seasoned like the chicken — and new Hot Mozz mozzarella sticks, along with mac and cheese, spicy Loaded Buffalo Mac and kale slaw to cool things back down.
“Everyone loves it — it’s an amazing, very fun brand,” Nick Smith, who co-owns the franchise for the area with his wife, Nicole, told CharlotteFive.
Each location is personalized to the area, with a team from Los Angeles coming in to decorate the restaurants with graffiti. The new Steele Creek location’s artwork pay homages to nearby Carowinds, featuring a roller coaster.
Locations coming up next include:
- Pineville
- High Point
- Mooresville
- Indian Land
Dave’s Hot Chicken
Location: 13415 Rigsby Road, Suite C, Charlotte NC 28273 (opens May 28)
Location: 2230 E Franklin Blvd suite 140, Gastonia, NC 28054
Location: 1300 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC 28205
Location: 9711 Northlake Centre Pkwy Suite A, Charlotte, NC 28216
Location: 8932 J M Keynes Dr #100, Charlotte, NC 28262
Location: 2476 Cherry Rd, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Cuisine: Nashville-style hot chicken
Instagram: @daveshotchicken
This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "A popular hot chicken restaurant is coming to 5 new spots in the Charlotte area."
