Fan favorite Dave’s Hot Chicken is coming to Wayne, New Jersey

Buckle up, the images you’re about to see are essentially food porn. You’ve been warned.

It was announced this week that Dave’s Hot Chicken is set to open up a New Jersey location.

The California-based restaurant will set up base in the West Belt Plaza shopping center at 57 Route 23 in Wayne, NJ.

I have to admit, my mouth is watering just looking at their food, but what intrigues me most about this chain is its origin story.

Per the company’s Instagram:

“In 2017 4 childhood friends with $900 in savings started a pop-up called Dave’s Hot Chicken in an East Hollywood parking lot.“

The chicken received great reviews and the friends' pop-up went viral on social media.

According to their site:

“A year later, the boys had the money to open a shop in a hip strip-mall with décor by local street artists, where the crowds continued to grow with wait-times of an hour and more. From there, the incredibly craveable ‘Hot and Spicy’ varieties have created a cult following with rave reviews across the U.S. and Canada.“

I'm here for a "rags to riches" origin story, especially if it means I get to eat something spicy.

You don’t have to be a fan of spice to enjoy their chicken (though it certainly helps), there’s a spectrum of spice.

The heat levels are as follows:

No spice

Lite mild

Mild

Medium

Hot

Extra hot

Reaper

“Reaper,” for those who don’t know, refers to the Carolina Reaper pepper, which is 100 times hotter than a jalapeño pepper.

Sign. Me. Up.

The Wayne location of Dave's Hot Chicken is expected to open later on this year, likely in winter.

Will this be the first of multiple NJ locations? We can hope!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.

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