:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/69890020/DrakeDavesChicken.0.jpeg)
It’s true, Drake is officially in the hot chicken business. That’s according to Dave’s Hot Chicken co-founder Arman Oganesyan, who says the massively popular rapper/entertainer recently signed on as a major investor to the Los Angeles-based restaurant chain. Oganesyan isn’t saying how large Drake’s claim to the business is, but it’s pretty significant. “He has a large stake,” says Oganesyan. “As far as investors go, he has a very good stake.”
Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, Tommy Rubenyan, and Gary Rubenyan started Dave’s Hot Chicken as an East Hollywood pop-up in early 2017, only to move into a brick-and-mortar location nine months later. The crew rode the Nashville-style hot chicken wave as it swept through Southern California and the nation, inking a 2019 licensing deal with the original investors behind the Pasadena-based Blaze Pizza to grow the company across the continent. That partnership now has Dave’s on track to debut 40 new restaurants this year, with plans for some 280 locations eventually, according to Restaurant Business.
The spicy tender and fries group is showing no signs of slowing down at the moment, but this type of business development does require ample capital and investment. Though Drake isn’t the first big name to sign on with Dave’s Hot Chicken — actor Samuel L. Jackson and Boston Red Sox chairman Tom Werner are both stakeholders — his participation should give an even bigger boost to the Dave’s Hot Chicken name.
Per Oganesyan, the pairing started in July when Drake’s team wanted Dave’s Hot Chicken to cater his party to celebrate receiving Billboard’s Artist of the Decade award. While serving food, the partners connected with Drake’s crew, and the rest is history. “We really vibed with his team, including (longtime friend and manager) Future The Prince, who is also one of his good friends,” says Arman. “He’s an awesome guy and we talked to him for a while. Afterwards, they expressed a little bit of interest in partnering up with the company to see what they can do, because they liked the food so much.”
Oganesyan says there will be no naming sandwiches after the Canadian superstar, so don’t expect dishes called “Best I Ever Had” — or the ideal “Lemon Pepper Freestyle.” Arman describes Drake’s interest as a partnership.
“I feel like genuinely there’s this desire between both brands to collaborate on really cool stuff,” says Oganesyan. “We’ll know more and more as we keep talking to each other. And I think honestly what we really want to do is just bring cool experiences to his fans and our customers. That’s the real main goal of the partnership.”
