Who owns Dave’s Hot Chicken?
Short answer: Roark Capital Roark Capital, the Atlanta private-equity firm that also owns Subway, bought Dave’s Hot Chicken in June 2025 in a deal valued at $1 billion (AP). Drake has been an investor, but he doesn’t own the chain; the founders and CEO Bill Phelps stayed on to run it.
- Owner
- Roark Capital
- Deal
- June 2025, $1 billion
- Founded
- 2017, Los Angeles
- CEO
- Bill Phelps
Checked November 8, 2026, against the AP report of the sale. Sources are listed at the end.
Dave’s Hot Chicken started in 2017 as a pop-up in a Los Angeles parking lot, run by four childhood friends. Eight years later it sold for about $1 billion.
Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Opens as a pop-up in a Los Angeles parking lot, started by four childhood friends |
| Before 2025 | Investors include the rapper Drake, who gives away sliders every year on his birthday, October 24 |
| June 2, 2025 | Roark Capital buys the company in a deal valued at $1 billion; CEO Bill Phelps and the founders stay on |
| End of 2025 | The company expected to reach 400 restaurants worldwide |
Does Drake own Dave’s Hot Chicken?
No. Drake is one of the company’s investors. AP’s report of the 2025 sale names Roark Capital as the buyer and doesn’t say whether earlier investors kept a stake.
What it means when you order
The sale changed who owns the company, not the restaurant you order from: the founders and CEO stayed on, AP reported. Prices at the Altamonte Springs, Florida restaurant we checked:
| Item | Price | Add to meal |
|---|---|---|
| NEW 2 for $22 Bundle | $22.00 | |
| Build Your Own Big Trio | $17.99 | |
| Dave’s XL Slider w/ Fries | $13.99 | |
| Dave’s Kids’ Meal | $7.99 | |
| Dave’s #1: 2 Tenders w/ Fries | $12.99 | |
| Dave’s #2: 2 Sliders w/ Fries | $14.99 |
Dave’s Hot Chicken menu Dave’s sauces & sides
Related questions
Does Subway own Dave’s Hot Chicken?
No. Roark Capital owns both Subway and Dave’s Hot Chicken; the two chains are separate companies.
Where did Dave’s Hot Chicken start?
In a Los Angeles parking lot, as a pop-up, in 2017.
Is Dave’s Hot Chicken halal?
Sources
- Dave’s Hot Chicken online ordering menu (daveshotchicken.com), Dave’s Hot Chicken, 155 Cranes Roost Blvd, Altamonte Springs, FL 32701, checked by Find Food Menu, November 6, 2026.
- Dave’s Hot Chicken sold to Subway owner Roark Capital in a $1 billion deal, The Associated Press (Dee-Ann Durbin), via WSLS, June 2, 2025.
See how we check prices. Find Food Menu is an independent guide, not affiliated with or endorsed by Dave’s Hot Chicken. Hours, holiday plans and policies can change and differ by location; check with your restaurant.