Dave’s Hot Chicken, the Los Angeles-founded Nashville-style chicken brand, expects to have 20 sites open across the UK and Ireland by the end of January, among the fastest-growing of the fast food franchises in the UK, according to Propel. The brand also told Propel it was making good progress towards a launch elsewhere in Europe.
Azzurri Group, the private equity-owned operator behind Zizzi and Coco di Mama, brought the brand to the UK with a first site in London in December 2024. In September 2025 it was granted exclusive development rights for 180 sites across ten European countries, and said it would partner with local operators in each market. By March 2026, openings planned in Leicester, Sheffield and Bristol were due to lift the UK portfolio to 10 sites, according to The Caterer.
From 10 sites to 20
Set against the position The Caterer described in March 2026, the target implies the UK and Ireland portfolio roughly doubling in under a year. Propel’s summary does not break the 20 sites down between the two countries, and it does not list the new sites.
The brand’s London debut drew queues for its spicy chicken challenge, which requires customers to sign a waiver before ordering, and The Caterer reported that the first London site became the highest-grossing opening in Azzurri’s history.
The European development rights
Azzurri’s rights cover France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey. Steve Holmes, chief executive of Azzurri Group, described Dave’s Hot Chicken in March 2026 as a “once-in-a-generation brand” with room for at least 60 sites in the UK. Propel reports that the brand told it the European launch was making “good progress”, without saying where the first continental site will open.
Development rights explained
Azzurri holds exclusive rights to develop the brand across ten named European countries and said it would work with local operators in each. The sources reviewed do not say whether UK sites are run by Azzurri or by partners.
Ownership and a reported sale process
The chain was founded in Los Angeles in 2017 by three childhood friends and counts Samuel L Jackson and Usher among its backers. In the United States it has more than 200 sites and was acquired by Roark Capital, the owner of Subway, in a deal reported at US$1 billion.
In March 2026 The Caterer reported, citing Bloomberg, that Azzurri was considering a sale of the UK and European business later in the year, and that its owner TowerBrook Capital Partners could also explore a sale of Azzurri. The Caterer said Dave’s Hot Chicken had been contacted for comment, and no confirmation appears in the Propel summary.
What the January date measures
The January target is the only date Propel’s summary gives. Counted from the 10 UK sites The Caterer reported for March 2026, reaching 20 would mean opening around ten sites in roughly ten months.
The target covers the UK and Ireland together, and the brand did not tie the European launch to a month or a country. Neither the Propel summary nor The Caterer’s March report lists confirmed sites beyond Leicester, Sheffield and Bristol, unlike the development plans brands publish across the UK franchise directory.
