MISSOULA — A chicken franchise is hatching a plan to expand across Montana. After a successful opening in Billings in December 2023, Dave's Hot Chicken is soon to arrive in Missoula, taking up Mod Pizza's old spot.
Wyatt Prime, the franchise owner for the Missoula location, said, "I think the culture with Dave's Hot Chicken is really gonna mesh well with the culture of Missoula. I think all the university students are gonna love it."
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Prime said Dave's Hot Chicken's expansion into Missoula is the result of a successful run at its first Montana location.
"When we opened in Billings, I was pretty worried no one was going to show up. And then an hour before we opened, there was a line down the sidewalk, and then our drive-through wrapped around the building and blocked the main road for about a month," Prime said.
Dave's offers everything from sandwiches to sliders and cheese fries to slaw. Customers are offered the choice of seven spice levels for their chicken, ranging from "no spice" to "reaper"
"Our main goal is to turn guests into fans and that's what we're going to do," Prime said.
Prime, his brother, and their friend are the youngest franchise owners in the company. He finds it special to work closely with the people he grew up with.
"There's been some pretty big learning curves, especially from the beginning. But we overcame that and we're ready to expand across the state," Prime said.
They are hiring and will open on November 14.
"We're expecting a big grand opening. We hope to beat the Billings numbers," Prime said.
Prime said that more Dave's Hot Chicken locations will be coming soon to Great Falls and Helena.
Dave's Hot Chicken has more than 280 locations across the country.
