See which new chicken chain is coming to Albuquerque

A new chicken chain will expand into the Land of Enchantment for the first time this fall.

Dave’s Hot Chicken, a Nashville-style chicken chain, will open its first New Mexico location on Albuquerque’s West Side at 3703 Ellison NW, the company confirmed to the Journal in August.

The restaurant is currently slated to open in October, according to Deryl Pangelinan, COO of DHC Licensing, the chain’s first and largest franchising group.

“We’re really excited to get it open in New Mexico,” Pangelinan said. “This is going to be the first location in the entire state of New Mexico, and for us, that’s history, and we’re excited to do that.”

DHC Licensing was established in 2020, just three years after the chicken chain was launched out of a parking lot in East Hollywood. The founders — three childhood friends in their 20s — started the chicken venture with only $900, a couple of folding tables and a portable fryer, according to the Dave’s Hot Chicken website.

Today, the chain has more than 340 locations across the United States, Qatar, Dubai, Canada and the United Kingdom. DHC Licensing has signed agreements for more than 80 locations and has so far opened 22.

The franchise group is bringing the chicken chain’s Nashville-style tenders and crinkle-cut fries to Albuquerque with help from Isaac Montoya, an Albuquerque resident who serves as DHC Licensing’s operating partner for New Mexico, El Paso and Louisiana. He is also one of the biggest franchisees for Cheba Hut.

New Mexico’s first Dave’s Hot Chicken, a 2,000-square-foot space situated in suite C of a property that also houses Great Clips and Cold Stone Creamery, was formerly a Panda Express that closed after the company opened a newly built restaurant nearby at 10126 Coors NW.

The Albuquerque restaurant is expected to employ between 60 and 70 people to begin with, but employment will likely land at about 30 to 45 employees after the location gets settled, Pangelinan said.

The COO did not share the exact cost of renovating and opening the space, but said it typically costs between $1.2 million and $1.5 million to open a franchise.

The West Side location will not be Albuquerque’s only Dave’s Hot Chicken. The chain will also construct a 2,400-square-foot Uptown location at 6900 Indian School NE near Target and ABQ Uptown, Pangelinan said. It has not been determined when the Uptown location will break ground, but Pangelinan said the restaurant is expected to open sometime late next year.

The group is also considering Las Cruces and Santa Fe for potential locations.

“We have a passion for introducing Dave’s Hot Chicken to the world,” Pangelinan said. “Any opportunity we can to introduce it to new markets, new states, new cities, we take pride in that.”