Drake’s favourite chicken finds a home in Burlington

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Published September 14, 2023 at 3:06 pm

Drake chicken Burlington free
Drake chows down on one of the specialty dishes at Dave's Hot Chicken.

Drake loved it so much that he bought into the company, but will he show up when the famed Hollywood chicken shack opens in Burlington?

That’s what fans are hoping for when Dave’s Hot Chicken debuts in Burlington tomorrow (Sept. 15).

Social media has been lit with speculation that the famed Toronto rapper will make an appearance at the fast-food chain, but a company spokesperson downplayed the rumours and playfully encouraged fans to “just come and eat some chicken.”

For the record, Dave’s Hot Chicken was an overnight sensation when it first opened on a Hollywood street corner just six years ago.

Using their own recipe, a group of friends used the roadside pop-up to serve the chicken and within days they couldn’t hardly keep up with the demand.

Fast-forward to 2023 and the company is now considered one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the world having first swept California and now poised to open throughout Canada and in a number of global destinations. Four locations already exist in Toronto.

Dave’s Hot Chicken has proved so popular and created a strong buzz that it has attracted celebrities such as Drake and Samuel Jackson as investors to help the franchise nudge its way into the highly competitive fast-food chicken market.

Apparently, the mega-popstar and Toronto-based Drake took a liking to the chicken when Dave’s Hot Chicken catered at one of his celebrity parties in Los Angeles.

Dave Kopushyan, one of the original owners, says he was determined to create “the perfect” hot chicken recipe by constantly searching for ingredients, tasting his creations, frying, cooking, and grilling until he came up with the right combination to serve to customers.

Using $900 he and his friends rounded up, the team set up in a neighbourhood parking lot and with an aggressive social media marketing plan enticed people to try it…and they liked it. The pop-up soon started attracting large crowds and long line-ups that led food critics to take notice.

Within a year the group earned enough money to open a brick-and-mortar operation where customers often had to wait more than an hour to get served because of the growing demand.

Kopushyan has said the secret to the food’s success is that the operators kept it simple and will continue to do so.

Customers can expect a menu that consists of breaded chicken with various degrees of spice, fried chicken tenders, sliders and sandwiches, all usually served with sides of fries, mac n’ cheese and pickles.

In Burlington Dave’s Hot Chicken is located at 2500 Appleby Line.

 

 

 

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