Azzurri: ‘Dave’s Hot Chicken has totally smashed our expectations’

Azzurri CEO Steve Holmes has told MCA’s Restaurant Conference the demand for Dave’s Hot Chicken at its UK restaurants is ‘enormous’ and has ‘totally smashed’ the group’s expectations.

The viral fried chicken brand’s popularity with UK diners is so significant that a recent free slider giveaway to coincide with investor rapper Drake’s birthday led to police temporarily closing the group’s restaurants in London, Birmingham and Liverpool due to overcrowding.

“I’ve never seen crowds like it,” Holmes said. “I remember thinking with my CEO hat on that this is horrendous, it can’t possibly be a good thing to have our restaurants closed.

“However, there was also a part of me thinking: ‘This is quite cool. We’ve got so much demand that we can’t trade’.”

Dave’s Hot Chicken, which hails from the US and specialises in Nashville-style hot chicken, made its debut UK on London’s Shaftesbury Avenue in December last year under a franchise partnership with Azzurri.

The brand has subsequently launched regional sites in Birmingham, Manchester and Stevenage, alongside a second London restaurant within Westfield London.

Holmes says all sites are performing ahead of expectations, drawing huge queues for weeks on end.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this in my 30 years of working in restaurants,” he adds, attributing a lot of the success to the brand’s social media presence.

“It has a huge social media reach with four million followers on TikTok and two million on Instagram, despite it only having 350 restaurants globally.

“That social media success transcends borders, so we were able to tap into that when we brought the brand to the UK.”

Further expansion is planned with Dave’s Hot Chicken set to reach seven sites across the UK by the end of the year.

From January 2026, the plan is to open a new site every three or four weeks.

“We’re going superfast. When you look at the fried chicken coverage in the US compared to the UK we’re hugely underpenetrated.

“We’re still opening sites, they’re doing well, and there’s plenty of space for more.”

Boojum struggles

By contrast, Irish-founded Mexican chain Boojum, which Azzurri acquired a controlling interest in back in 2023, is still finding its footing in the UK.

Boojum opened its first UK store in Leeds in April 2024, alongside a purpose-built central kitchen facility in Leeds. Three further stores opened in Liverpool, Nottingham and Birmingham.

However, the latter two subsequently closed after just one year of trading.

Despite the struggles, Boojum recently reported turnover of £35.2m for the year ended 30 June 2024, rising from £26.9m the prior year, and Holmes says Azzurri continues to have confidence in the brand.

“It hasn’t hit the ground running in the same way [as Dave’s Hot Chicken], which we think is because people haven’t really heard of the brand. It’s not a name that necessarily resonates with Mexican QSR.

“That said, the ratings are phenomenally good and it’s building very rapidly.

“It’s just going to take a little bit more time for UK consumers to discover it.”

Omnichannel growth and restaurant innovation

Another brand in the Azzurri portfolio is quick service Italian chain Coco Di Mama, which has focused its recent growth on the development of its omnichannel presence.

Coco Di Mama launched a range of sandwiches into Sainsbury’s stores nationwide in October last year following a successful trial with the retailer, and has since branched out into Tesco too.

According to Holmes, the brand is now selling 10 million sandwiches a year.

Elsewhere, Azzurri has also rolled out an evolving brand identity for its Italian casual dining chain Zizzi following a successful trial at its restaurant in London Paddington.

“We know that value for money is so important when people eat out right now,” says Holmes.

“You have to put your prices up because the cost of running businesses is going up, and if you do that then you have to improve the quality of proposition, or the quality drops.

“So rather than cutting costs, we’ve doubled down.”

This includes smarter interiors, changing all the pasta on the menu to fresh, and ensuring all dishes are cooked to order.

Candy floss machines have been installed in each restaurant and being used in cocktails and desserts; and every guest is now given a complimentary shot of Italian hot chocolate at the end of their meal.

“It’s all about finding ways to stand out and create a better experience,” Holmes adds.