Nashville Hot Chicken Style Spot Opening More North Carolina Locations
It seems that every day I read about another chicken restaurant opening in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. Hey, in my opinion there’s always room for more chicken! And, I especially love that Nashville “hot chicken” style. According to The Charlotte Observer, LA-based Dave’s Hot Chicken plans to open a second Charlotte location. Friday, Dave’s opens at 8932 J.M. Keynes Drive in University City. The first store opened in Plaza Midwood last September. Lately, Charlotte is a breeding ground for fast casual chicken chains. Chicago-based Harold’s Chicken & Ice Bar opened nearby this week as well. And, Dave’s Hot Chicken plans more expansion with 12 franchises in the Charlotte area. In the University area, Dave’s will be located in The Pointe, along with several other restaurants already there. Some of the established spots include Piada Italian Street Food, City Barbeque, Blaze Pizza and Five Guys.
Dave’s Hot Chicken is newer to the chicken game than I realized. They actually began just 6 years ago at a pop up late night spot. But now, Dave’s numbers more than 80 locations in the U.S., Canada and Dubai. They’re famous for hot chicken tenders and sliders. Here’s the part that catches my attention. Dave’s Hot Chicken features seven spice levels ranging from none to reaper. I can stand some heat. However, just to be safe I think my level would be in the middle to just beyond. I’m not sure I can handle the “reaper.” As the chicken restaurant wars in Charlotte rage on, we’ll keep our eyes on more spots popping up. Word has it that another chain “Slim Chickens” is expected to expand in the Carolinas. Look for new spots in Fort Mill, South Carolina and Monroe, North Carolina. But, the latest Nashville hot chicken style spot has my attention!
South Carolina Chicken Spot Named One Of America's Top Restaurants
We are always looking for new restaurants to try. Our friends often have great recommendations but another resource we use is the review site Yelp. The site recently released its annual list of the Top 100 Places To Eat in the US for 2023. There was a South Carolina spot that was named to the top restaurants’ list. And it’s one I have heard a ton of rave reviews about. May have to road trip and try it soon. To determine this list Yelp reached out to the user community first, requesting individuals to submit their favorite U.S. restaurants. From there the data science team at Yelp looked at the top community submissions to determine the top restaurants by ratings, number of reviews, and volume of submissions. They also made sure to include an equal geographic representation. Yelp community managers helped finalize the rankings.
That leads us to the 2023 Top 100 Places To Eat List. It includes eateries in a wide variety of cuisines including Italian, Ethiopian, Hawaiian, and Vegan offerings. It was not just South Carolina featured as one of the top restaurants on the top places to eat. There were also two North Carolina spots including one in Charlotte that made the list. I’ve featured each of those three places as well as highlighted to top 10 spots. If you’re interested in restaurants in other areas of the country you can see everything Yelp included at this link.
Debbie Nance is the afternoon co-host along with her husband on "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She has been with the station for 18 years. Debbie is a CMA Award winner for Radio Personality of the Year. And, she has worked in radio for 40 years. Before her current afternoon position, Debbie spent more than a decade as co-host on morning shows in several markets across the Southeast. As a content creator for Country 1037, Debbie writes articles about food, new restaurants in the Carolinas and travel experiences.