Dave's Hot Chicken opens in Manchester

Dave's Hot Chicken opens in Manchester's Printworks with a bold new venue, spicy menu, and celebrity investor backing

Dave's Hot Chicken opens in Manchester with bold venue and star backing

Dave's Hot Chicken, the bold Nashville style fried chicken brand, has opened its Manchester site at 27 Withy Grove in the Printworks. The venue leans into a loud, street art inspired appearance with graffiti backed walls and a DJ booth, signaling a dining experience that blends food with a nightlife vibe. The menu is simple by design with four main chicken choices, seven spice levels and a waiver for the hottest option named Reaper. Prices run from about £9.99 to £13.49 and sides such as mac and cheese sit alongside bold shakes.

The Manchester outlet marks the brands third in the UK after openings in London and Birmingham. Fans can expect a distinctly American tasting profile with UK tweaks, including tenders served on a slice of plain bread to soak up sauces. The store has already drawn long queues and early customers queued for hours before opening, underscoring strong appetite for the concept here. The space also serves live music through a DJ setup and hosts events with local partners GigPig, signaling a move toward a more entertainment driven dining experience. Celebrity investors add to the hype, with Drake and Usher noted as supporters and enthusiasts of the brand across the US.

The Manchester debut sits at the intersection of food trend and entertainment. Celebrity backing brings global attention and a ready made crowd, while the live music element reflects a broader shift toward dine and watch experiences. Yet the bread based serve and the hot spice waiver show the brand leaning on authentic US practices while inviting local debate about adaptation. The company will need to balance demand with staff and supply to avoid bottlenecks that already showed up in queue lengths. If the spawn of hype stays paired with reliable quality, this could become a durable addition to Manchester scene, but it also runs the risk of becoming a temporary fad driven by spectacle.

Highlights

A spicy bet that tests both appetite and patience, in equal measure