MISSOULA — A chicken franchise is hatching a plan to expand across Montana.
After an opening in Billings that was anything but fowl, Dave's Hot Chicken is soon to arrive in Missoula, taking up Mod Pizza's old spot.
"I think the culture with Dave's Hot Chicken is really gonna mesh well with the culture of Missoula. I think all the university students are gonna love it," said Wyatt Prime, Dave's Hot Chicken franchise owner and operator.
Prime said Dave's Hot Chicken's expansion into Missoula is the result of a successful run at its first Montana location.
"When we opened in Billings, I was pretty worried no one was going to show up. And then an hour before we opened, there was a line down the sidewalk, and then our drive-through wrapped around the building and blocked the main road for about a month," Prime said.
Dave's offers everything from sandwiches to sliders and cheese fries to slaw with a heat scale rating from none to reaper.
"Our main goal is to turn guests into fans and that's what we're going to do," Prime said.
Prime, his brother and their friend are the youngest franchise owners in the company. He finds it special to work closely with the people he grew up with.
"There's been some pretty big learning curves, especially from the beginning. But, we overcame that and we're ready to expand across the state," Prime said.
They are hiring and will open on Nov. 14.
"We're expecting a big grand opening. We hope to beat the Billings numbers," Prime said.
Prime said that more Dave's Hot Chicken locations will be coming soon to Great Falls and Helena.
