Dave’s Hot Chicken Plans Grand Opening

A popular chicken restaurant will have the grand opening of its first Milwaukee location Friday, Sept. 30.

The countdown is on for Dave’s Hot Chicken, 544 E. Ogden Ave., which will open in a retail stall at East Pointe Marketplace, a Lower East Side shopping center anchored by a Pick ‘n Save. A soft opening for the restaurant will be Thursday, Sept. 29.

Franchisee MR Chicken opened the first Wisconsin location for the fast-growing chain in Menomonee Falls in January.

One of the MR Chicken owners, Ron Stokes, is president of Roaring Fork Restaurant Group, which operates 58 Qdoba restaurants in Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. Mike Pranke is also a partner in MR Chicken.

MR Chicken will operate the upcoming Milwaukee location, with plans to add an additional 15 restaurants throughout the state within the next six years, according to Stokes.

“We’ve hired 65 employees and so we’re excited about providing jobs and opportunities for people,” Stokes said.

The 2,213-square-foot building, which previously housed physical therapy provider Athletico, was updated to reflect the chicken chain’s signature design. The Los Angeles-based company, Splatter Haus collaborates with each Dave’s to craft unique, street art-style murals inspired by the location’s culture and character, Stokes said.

“Their canvas is our walls. It’s really cool and unique,” he said.

Arman Oganesyan and his two brothers started Dave’s in 2017 as a parking lot pop-up operation in California. The street food-inspired restaurant now has more than 500 franchise locations throughout the US and Canada.

The new Milwaukee location will offer the same, straightforward menu as other Dave’s locations, featuring Nashville-style hot chicken sandwiches and tenders in seven heat levels ranging from “no spice” to “reaper” (which requires signing a waiver), along with sides including fries, mac and cheese, kale slaw and milkshakes.

Dave’s Hot Chicken in Milwaukee will be open Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. until midnight. Online ordering will be available.