Dave’s Hot Chicken’s Europe-based franchisee is getting ready to triple down on its investment.
The U.K.-based Azzurri Group last year signed on to open 60 of the fast-casual chicken chain units in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The first of those opened in London’s West End, with two more now open in Manchester and Birmingham.
On Monday, Azzurri announced an exclusive agreement to develop 180 more Dave’s locations across 10 European countries with a joint-venture partnership model, tapping local operators in France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy and Turkey.
That will bring to 240 the number of Dave’s units across Europe. The fast-casual chain, which was acquired by Roark Capital in June in a deal valued at $1 billion, has about 315 locations across the U.S., Canada and the Middle East.
“This is a once-in-a-generation brand,” said Steve Holmes, CEO of Azzurri Group, in a statement. “Dave’s Hot Chicken has all the ingredients for international success—unforgettable food, massive cultural resonance, and an incredibly scalable model. The response in the UK has been phenomenal, and we’re now focused on bringing this concept to more countries through strong local joint venture partnerships.”
Azzurri Group has a portfolio of more than 225 restaurants across multiple brands, including the full-service Italian Zizzi and ASK Italian, as well as the quick-service Italian Coco di Mama, and the fast-casual-Mexican concept Boojum.
Following the deal with Roark, Dave’s is also looking to Asia for franchise growth, the brand’s president Jim Bitticks said earlier this year.
“You’ll see us popping up everywhere,” he said.
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