Hilltop favorite Overdose Hot Chicken is packing up its fiery menu and heading for the city’s east side. The fried-chicken spot, known for cranking the spice and loading up the sides, is planning a second Columbus outpost near Gahanna, sliding into the busy North Hamilton Road corridor and muscling into an already crowded local chicken scene.
According to The Columbus Dispatch, the new storefront is headed for 5352 N. Hamilton Road, where windows are already plastered with “coming soon” and “we’re hiring” signs. A restaurant representative told the paper the owners are aiming to open within the next two months, with a tentative debut in July.
From Hilltop To Hamilton Road
Overdose opened its first brick-and-mortar at 3260 W. Broad St. in July 2024 and has since built a loyal following for tenders, sandwiches, popcorn chicken, loaded fries, and oversized stuffed cookies, according to Overdose Hot Chicken. The brand also lists five spice levels on ordering pages and delivery listings, ranging from sober to wild, hot, insane, and overdose, per DoorDash.
Hamilton Road's Chicken Shuffle
The planned Hamilton Road Overdose is landing in the middle of a larger game of musical chairs among local chicken operators. Several former Hot Chicken Takeover corners along the corridor have already been snapped up by new concepts, a pattern Hoodline has tracked. Hoodline reported that DHC Chicken recently opened in a former Hot Chicken Takeover storefront in Gahanna, part of a broader reshuffling of city and suburban chicken options.
Hiring notices at the Hamilton Road site suggest the brand is already staffing up ahead of a likely soft opening, although the Dispatch report remains the clearest signal on timing for now. We will share updates once the new location announces an official opening date or begins soft service, per The Columbus Dispatch.
