For anyone in Springfield who’s been craving Dave’s Hot Chicken, but doesn’t want to drive all the way to Eugene, this new restaurant opening may be the perfect fast food opportunity.
The upcoming Dave’s Hot Chicken will be located on 1570 Mohawk Boulevard, near other fast food restaurants including McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell and Sonic Drive-In.
While Dave’s Hot Chicken was unavailable for comment, a manager at the Eugene location shared that the Springfield restaurant is “tentatively” expected to open this spring, though this timeline is subject to change.
Dave’s Hot Chicken currently has locations on East 13th Avenue in Eugene, Salem, Beaverton, Tualatin and Portland.
Dave’s Hot Chicken got its start in southern California in 2017, when childhood friends Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan and brothers Tommy and Gary Rubenyan operated a portable fryer in an empty parking lot in East Hollywood.
The original food stand rose to popularity when it caught the attention of Eater Los Angeles, a food blog run by Vox Media, who featured Dave’s on their blog. By the end of 2018, an official restaurant was opened on Western Avenue in Los Angeles.
Since then, Dave’s Hot Chicken has expanded their locations across the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
University of Oregon student Brandon Lee, a sophomore studying economics, shared his thoughts on the chicken chain.
“Dave’s Hot Chicken is pretty fire,” Lee said. “I think their chicken and fries are seasoned well, but it’s pretty expensive.”
Isabella Zarate, another UO student, said that opening a new Dave’s location would be good for business.
“I think the Dave’s at Eugene, near campus, gets a lot of business,” Zarate said. “Sometimes it can be really, really busy, so maybe it would be good for their staffing if they had another location.”
Zarate added that while she doesn’t “do well with spice,” she still loves Dave’s fries, sauce and their new bites.
With the new Springfield location on the way, fans of the chain living in Lane County may soon have a more convenient way to get their hot chicken fix.
