A shuttered Jack in the Box in Vancouver's Fisher's Landing neighborhood is set to become the newest home of Dave's Hot Chicken, the Nashville-style chain known for its fiery tenders and sliders. The location would occupy the closed fast-food building at 16333 SE 12th St, Building A, and would mark the brand's third storefront in the city of Vancouver, Washington.
According to WhatNow, the property is owned by JCK Companies, the same franchise group signing on to bring Dave's Hot Chicken to the region through a separate entity called JCK Birdz. Dave's Hot Chicken already operates two other Vancouver locations, and the outlet reports those existing stores could provide a built-in fan base for the new Fisher's Landing spot once it opens.
JCK Companies, managed by Alex Karcher, runs fast-food franchises across Oregon and Southwest Washington, and Dave's Hot Chicken represents the company's fourth franchise brand alongside Carl's Jr., Jersey Mike's, and Human Bean coffee stands, per the same WhatNow report. The group already operates Dave's Hot Chicken locations in Eugene, Springfield, and Tualatin, giving it a track record of multi-unit buildouts before tackling East Vancouver.
A Familiar Playbook in the Pacific Northwest
The Karcher-led operation has been steadily rolling out Dave's Hot Chicken across the region. Franchise operator JCK Companies opened a Gresham, Oregon store at 345 NW Burnside Road in May 2025 under operating principal Alex Karcher, according to WhatNow. That expansion built on JCK Companies' broader portfolio, which, according to Lane County government records, spans food service locations across Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Dave's Hot Chicken's menu spans spice levels ranging from no heat all the way up to its Reaper level, and the chain's approach to that top tier has become something of a viral calling card. Customers ordering the Reaper are required to sign a physical liability waiver before receiving their food, a policy that applies across all franchise locations nationwide, according to Chowhound, given the intense heat of the Carolina Reaper peppers used in the sauce.
From a Parking Lot Pop-Up to a Billion-Dollar Brand
Dave's Hot Chicken started as a pop-up stand in an East Hollywood parking lot in 2017, per WhatNow's reporting. Co-founder Dave Kopushyan trained as a professional chef under the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group at the three-Michelin-starred French Laundry before developing the company's proprietary hot chicken recipe, according to Wikipedia. The chain now has nearly 300 locations nationwide, the outlet notes, a footprint built in less than a decade.
That growth has attracted serious money and star power. In June 2025, Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital acquired a majority stake of roughly 75 percent in Dave's Hot Chicken in a deal valued at $1 billion, according to Companies History, a transaction that preserved operational autonomy for management while injecting capital for global unit growth. The chain also holds equity backing from celebrity investors including Drake, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Strahan, Maria Shriver, and Usher, as reported by Business Insider, with Drake acquiring his minority stake in 2021 after trying the food in Los Angeles.
The financial numbers back up the hype. Dave's Hot Chicken's U.S. systemwide sales surged from $22 million in 2020 to approximately $617 million in 2024, according to Technomic industry data cited by CenterCheck, a trajectory that dwarfs many legacy quick-service chains during the same stretch.
Part of a Bigger Washington State Rollout
The proposed Fisher's Landing store fits into a broader pattern of Dave's Hot Chicken expansion up and down the I-5 corridor. Hoodline previously reported on a Lynnwood opening near Alderwood Mall in July, a 2,506-square-foot location that opened as part of the chain's push into Puget Sound and Western Washington. Earlier this year, the brand also opened a location at The Commons in Federal Way, drawing local city officials to its grand opening ribbon cutting.
Whether the Fisher's Landing project follows that same pattern of permitting and a summer or fall debut remains to be seen, and WhatNow's report does not specify a construction timeline or opening date for the SE 12th Street site. For now, the shuttered Jack in the Box building stands as the next domino in JCK Companies' steady buildout of the Dave's Hot Chicken brand across Oregon and Southwest Washington.
-4.webp?w=160&h=400&fit=crop&crop=edges)
