CRESCENT SPRINGS, Ky. -- Nashville Hot, which is unsurprisingly a Nashville-style hot chicken joint, is already expanding less than one year after opening its first storefront at the Buttermilk Shoppes.
Nashville Hot LLC has entered into a franchise agreement to open multiple Dayton-area franchises, the first of which will open in November at the Austin Landing development off I-75 near I-675.
Some WCPO employees like it hot -- others, not so much. Watch below as our staffers tackle Nashville Hot's fiery flavors back when the first restaurant opened in February.
The brainchild of former Tom+Chee president David Krikorian, Nashville Hot introduced the Queen City to the cayenne pepper-infused staple cooked in the Music City in February.
“This is probably unlike anything you’ve tried before,” Krikorian told WCPO in December 2015. “It’s just so flavorful -- so tasty -- that people in the Tri-State area are going to eat it up.”
An "experienced group of investors led by Mike Craddick" will operate the Dayton franchises. Nashville Hot also plans to announce new restaurant locations in the Cincinnati area throughout the next several months. The restaurant group is also targeting expansion into Indianapolis, Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
“We are thrilled to have Nashville Hot expanding into a new marketplace,” Krikorian said. “Mike is an extremely knowledgeable restaurant franchise operator, and we are excited to bring authentic hot chicken to Dayton, Ohio.”
Food and restaurant consultant Baum + Whiteman listed fried chicken and specifically Nashville-style hot chicken as one of the 11 hottest food and beverage trends for 2016.
