By Anne Higuera
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The former Haymaker space (4706 California Ave SW) in The Junction will reopen, possibly mid-2026, with two new food options, both franchises owned by the Kirkland-based Keshap Group. Sana Keshap has confirmed to West Seattle Blog what permit documents seemed to suggest last month when we first reported on a “leased” sign in the window: that Dave’s Hot Chicken will take up the lion’s share of the space. The balance will go to another of the Keshap Group’s franchises, Gong Cha, purveyor of teas including boba.
“Our goal is to open them at the same time,” says Keshap, who is managing the build-out of Dave’s locations around the Pacific Northwest. Her sister Prachi is heading up the Gong Cha franchise locations, the first of which opened last Friday, not coincidentally right across the street from the group’s first Dave’s location on Capitol Hill at 12th and Pike.
Having the two franchises in close proximity is something Keshap thinks will be a natural combination, given the menus. “You have hot and spicy chicken and then you get a milky bubble tea, the sweet treat after having something spicy.” She says they plan to see how that synchronicity plays out both on Capitol Hill and in West Seattle as the Keshap Group plans as many as 15 Dave’s in Western Washington from Olympia to Bellingham and 50 Gong Cha locations across Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.
Why West Seattle? Keshap says that in the time since the Capitol Hill location has been open, she’s talked with many customers who said they’d driven there from the peninsula and would love to see a location closer to home. Then it turned out that the owner of the building that includes the Haymaker also owns a building in Ballard where the Keshap Group has a Papa John’s. Having a space large enough for both franchises, fans in the neighborhood and a known landlord were all signs to move forward. “They’re excited to work with us,” she said, and agreed to a 10-year lease.
Keshap sees the two shops bringing energy and new food options to the Junction in a location that already attracts the kind of people who are their customers, with Easy Street Records just across the street. “I don’t think there’s any fried chicken concepts out there. [Dave’s has] a young, fun, funky vibe. It just fits the Seattle vibe very well.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken will be on the north side of the space, with Gong Cha on the side facing the walking path to the south that goes through to the alley. Keshap Group will seek a single contractor to build out both spaces concurrently.
Still up in the air is the open hours for both stores. Keshap says the group tends to keep hours consistent throughout their franchises, but they have adjusted their first Dave’s location based on demand. On Capitol Hill that means opening at 10 am each day, and closing at 2am except Friday and Saturday, when they’re open until 4 am. “So is there a demand for that late [in West Seattle]?” she asked. “I’m not sure yet.”
Keshap says the next Dave’s Hot Chicken to open will be in Redmond on October 30th, followed by Tacoma in December and Federal Way in January. A location in Puyallup is also in the works for 4th quarter of 2026. Gong Cha has more than 2,000 locations worldwide.
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