Thanks to the readers who tipped us about that new “LEASED” sign in The Junction (including the person who sent the photo). Permit filings indicate Dave’s Hot Chicken, an international chain with one Seattle location so far, seeks to add its second in the heart of “downtown West Seattle.” According to permit records with the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, a new Dave’s restaurant is intended for part of the former Haymaker Restaurant space at 4706 California Ave SW. The Haymaker closed in May of 2024 after five years in business. Preliminary permit records show the space would be divided between Dave’s and another tenant. (This industry-publication article notes they try to limit their restaurants’ size.)
The menu is focused around fried chicken tenders with varying levels of spice, along with sides and shakes. The Seattle location, on Capitol Hill at 12th and Pike, is owned by the Keshap Group, a California-based franchisee listed on the Junction documentation too. The group had already announced plans for new locations this year in Redmond and Tacoma, with others in Puyallup and Federal Way next year, but hopes for a West Seattle location had not been previously announced.
Dave’s Hot Chicken was started by four friends as a street food vendor in the Los Angeles area in 2017. Celebrity investments followed a few years later; a majority share of the company was sold to a private-equity firm this past June. Dave’s has more than 300 franchise locations, mostly in the US, with some in Canada and Dubai.
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