A former Wendy's building on U.S. 1 South in St. Augustine is about to get a new tenant with a much bigger national profile: Dave's Hot Chicken. The Nashville-style hot chicken chain will open its newest Florida location at 1830 U.S. 1 South, taking over a fast-food site that sat empty after the Wendy's there closed for good.
The St. Augustine restaurant will be run by franchise owner Andrew Hamerling, who is bringing the brand to the area, according to WhatNow. Hamerling and his operating partners, Jesse Allen, Tim Jensen and Tom Devine, signed a multi-unit franchise agreement with Dave's Hot Chicken back in November 2023, committing to open at least five locations across the Jacksonville and Gainesville markets over four years, as reported by Mainstreet Daily News. The group already operates several Jersey Mike's Subs locations across Northeast Florida, giving them a track record in the region before adding a hot chicken brand to their portfolio.
The St. Augustine opening builds on momentum the franchise group has already built elsewhere in North Florida. The team opened its first regional location on Southwest Archer Road in Gainesville in July 2024, followed by its first Jacksonville restaurant at St. Johns Town Center in April 2025, with a third planned site in North Jacksonville at River City Marketplace, per Business Debut. No opening date has been announced yet for the St. Augustine store.
A Former Wendy's Gets a New Life
The building at 1830 U.S. 1 South previously housed a Wendy's operated by Michigan-based Meritage Hospitality Group before it permanently closed, according to Visit St. Augustine. The site has some local history beyond fast food, too. In October 2022, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office issued a community alert after a carjacking took place in the Wendy's parking lot there, as reported by News4JAX.
From a $900 Pop-Up to a National Chain
Dave's Hot Chicken serves Nashville-style hot chicken, including hand-breaded tenders, chicken bites, sliders and mini sliders, according to WhatNow. Sides include kale slaw, seasoned fries, mac and cheese and a menu item called hot mozz, and the chain also offers milkshakes and dipping sauces. Spice levels run across seven options, ranging from no spice up to the signature Reaper, its hottest offering.
The chain's origin story is part of its appeal. Three friends launched Dave's Hot Chicken as a late-night chicken stand in an East Hollywood parking lot in 2017, investing just $900 to get started, per WhatNow. Co-founder Dave Kopushyan trained as a chef within Thomas Keller's restaurant group, home to California's three-Michelin-starred The French Laundry, before helping start the street pop-up, according to Nation's Restaurant News. What began as a parking-lot operation has since grown into a national restaurant brand with hundreds of locations, and Technomic named it America's fastest-growing restaurant chain in May 2023.
Celebrity Backing Fuels the Hype
Part of that growth has been fueled by star power. Rapper Drake acquired a significant ownership stake in Dave's Hot Chicken in September 2021, joining other celebrity investors including Samuel L. Jackson, Usher, Maria Shriver, Tom Werner and Michael Strahan, Nation's Restaurant News reported. Every year on October 23, the chain gives away a free hot chicken slider to any customer who scans its mobile app in-store, a promotion tied to Drake's birthday, according to KTVB.
For those brave enough to try the Reaper, the chain's hottest heat level, there's a catch: customers must sign a legal release-of-claims liability waiver before ordering it, given how extreme the spice is, per Nation's Restaurant News. It's the kind of detail that has helped the brand stand out in a crowded fast-casual chicken market as it continues its push into new cities, including St. Augustine.
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