Dave's Hot Chicken, the cult-favorite brand celebrated for its craveable hot chicken offerings, is turning up the heat with an innovative new menu item. The company has announced the launch of Dave's Hot Mozz, a bold fried mozzarella creation that will be available across the United States beginning March 10, 2026.
Spicing Up the Classic Cheese Pull
Hot Mozz takes the popular fried mozzarella cheese pull concept and infuses it with Dave's signature fiery approach. The product features thick-cut, premium mozzarella that is carefully breaded and fried to achieve a crispy exterior perfection. Each piece is then dusted with one of Dave's seven signature spice levels, ranging from Not Hot all the way up to the intense Reaper® level.
The result is a flavor-packed bite that combines a gooey, melty interior with a satisfyingly crispy outer layer. This creation represents Dave's commitment to delivering indulgent comfort food with their distinctive heat profile.
Multiple Serving Options Available
Starting at just $2.99, Hot Mozz will be available in numerous configurations to satisfy various levels of indulgence:
- Single Hot Mozz à la carte
- 3 Pieces served with fries, pickles, bread, and Dave's signature sauce
- 5 Pieces served with fries, pickles, bread, and Dave's signature sauce
- Slider featuring Hot Mozz
- Slider Combo with Hot Mozz accompanied by fries, pickles, bread, and Dave's sauce
- 3 Piece à la carte
- 5 Piece à la carte
- 20-Piece Hot Box for larger gatherings
Strategic Expansion into New Categories
With mozzarella sticks generating significant appetizer buzz throughout the restaurant industry, Dave's identified an opportunity to elevate this format with their distinctive heat and flavor approach. The company aims to deliver a product specifically designed for social sharing, dipping, and creating repeat cravings among customers.
Jim Bitticks, CEO of Dave's Hot Chicken, emphasized the brand's philosophy behind the new offering: "Guests are obsessed with bold, indulgent comfort food, and Hot Mozz delivers exactly that, but in a way only Dave's can. We've built our brand on craveability, quality and shareability, and this gives fans another insanely delicious option, whether they eat chicken, cauliflower, or neither. It's melty, spicy, crispy, and completely over the top."
Continuing Vegetarian-Friendly Innovation
Hot Mozz also represents the brand's ongoing expansion into vegetarian-friendly menu options. Dave's first ventured into plant-based innovation in 2024 with Dave's Not Chicken, featuring fried cauliflower available as Sliders, Tenders, and Bites. With Hot Mozz, the company deepens its commitment to providing bold flavors and satisfying experiences for guests regardless of dietary preferences.
Whether paired with Dave's house-made sauces, enjoyed in a Slider format, or consumed as a standalone snack, Hot Mozz is engineered for fans who crave both heat and flavor in every single bite.
About Dave's Hot Chicken
The company's origin story reads like a modern American dream. Three childhood friends—Chef Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan, and Tommy Rubenyan—pooled together $900 to launch Dave's Hot Chicken in a parking lot in 2017, equipped with portable fryers and folding tables. The concept quickly gained traction, leading to the opening of an East Hollywood brick-and-mortar restaurant shortly thereafter, with support from Tommy's brother, Gary.
In 2019, the team struck a significant franchising deal with Wetzel's Pretzels co-founder and former CEO Bill Phelps. The brand also attracted investment from Billboard's Artist of the Decade, Drake. Today, Dave's Hot Chicken has sold rights to more than 1,000 franchise locations across the United States, Middle East, Europe, and Canada, with plans to open over 150 additional locations in the current year. The company's mission, harkening back to an Eater LA blog that helped propel early interest, remains to "blow their minds."
