Hangry Joe's Hot Chicken is now hiring at its future Briggs Chaney Marketplace location in Silver Spring, with permanent signage up at 13811 Outlet Drive even as the chain's opening timeline keeps shifting. The Nashville hot chicken chain is taking over a storefront previously occupied by a MetroPCS, sandwiched between Mimi's Perfect Nails and H&R Block, in a space that once targeted an early 2026 debut before sliding to fall.
The Briggs Chaney store is now the sixth Montgomery County location for the fast-growing chain, joining existing spots in Rockville, Wheaton, Germantown, and Montgomery Village, according to The MoCo Show. The outlet reports the location secured a construction permit and is now actively recruiting staff, though no firm opening date has been announced.
A Fast-Growing Chain With Korean Roots
Hangry Joe's traces back to Ashland, Virginia, where it launched in May 2021 under founder Derek Cha, who previously built the Sweet Frog frozen yogurt chain, and business partner Mike Kim, according to Richmond BizSense. The pair reportedly researched hot chicken concepts in Nashville, Los Angeles, and San Francisco before settling on their format. Kim's background running Korean barbecue establishments before the launch helps explain why the menu leans beyond standard Southern hot chicken, according to CultureMap Dallas, which notes the chain serves soy-garlic and spicy soy-garlic Korean chicken nuggets over rice alongside its sandwiches, tenders, and chicken-and-waffles.
The brand has also built its identity around extreme spice. Hangry Joe's menus feature six heat levels running from “No Heat” up to “Angry Hot,” and customers who order the top tier must sign a liability waiver due to the intensity of the chain's ghost-pepper sauce blend, a policy enforced across its franchisees nationwide, per FFXnow. Since its 2021 debut, the chain has grown to more than 110 locations across the country, along with international master franchise agreements in South Korea, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates, according to Franchise Arabia Group.
Landing in a Revitalizing Corridor
Briggs Chaney Marketplace, where the new store is locating, is owned by Bethesda-based real estate investment trust Saul Centers, Inc. and spans 192,297 square feet of commercial space across an 18.16-acre site at the intersection of U.S. Route 29 and Briggs Chaney Road, according to Saul Centers. The center is anchored by Global Food Market, Ross Dress for Less, and DaVita Healthcare, and draws more than 58,000 vehicles daily along Route 29, per the same source.
The property sits within the 231-acre Burtonsville/Briggs Chaney Enterprise Zone, which the state created in June 2017 to offer real property tax credits and state income tax incentives to businesses that invest capital and hire locally, according to the Maryland Department of Commerce. The shopping center has already added modern fast-casual dining in recent years, including a Chipotle Mexican Grill that opened a digital-only Chipotlane pickup kitchen at 13801 Outlet Drive in March 2023, replacing a former Little Caesars, as reported by the MoCo Show at the time.
Competing in a Crowded Hot Chicken Market
Hangry Joe's expansion into Briggs Chaney arrives amid a broader hot chicken boom across Montgomery County. The chain now competes directly with Dave's Hot Chicken, which opened a location in White Oak in November 2024 and another on Rockville Pike this past December, according to the MoCo Show's coverage. Dave's Hot Chicken also employs its own high-heat waiver menu strategy, underscoring how central the spice-challenge gimmick has become to the fast-casual segment.
The Briggs Chaney opening also fits into a wider municipal push to revitalize East County. Local planners approved the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan in 2023 to guide improvements along five miles of Route 29, targeting better retail access, housing, and pedestrian transit after decades of stagnant commercial development, according to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. That plan incorporated community feedback gathered since 2021.
Franchise Growth Hasn't Been Without Bumps
Not every Hangry Joe's expansion has gone smoothly. Hoodline previously reported on abrupt closures of three franchise locations in the Twin Cities in April, and the chain has also opened new stores in markets like Westlake, Ohio, and along Millbrook Road in North Carolina in recent months. For now, the Briggs Chaney location has permanent signage and an active hiring push, but the exact date it will start serving Silver Spring customers remains unannounced.
