Dave’s Hot Chicken gave supporters a taste of things to come when it hosted an open house with free meals for employees, their friends and family on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
“Everyone’s eating good and feeling good,” Dave’s Hot Chicken Manager Alyssa Simmons said, describing the event. “It’s a great vibe and great atmosphere. It looks great in here and smells great in here.”
This Dave’s Hot Chicken, at 17629-31 S. Halsted St., is the company’s first location in the South Suburbs east of I-57. The restaurant officially opens to the public on Friday, Jan. 31.
Dave’s Hot Chicken district manager George Edwards said the company hired its Homewood store employees from the community, including workers from Homewood, Flossmoor, and other surrounding suburbs. Edwards said that besides the training team, all employees are new.
Charity Tolliver, a Flossmoor resident, proudly took pictures of her 16-year-old son, Moses Tolliver, working his first day at his first job.
“I feel really proud of him,” Tolliver said. “It makes him happy to feel like he’s being self-sufficient. He’s going off to college early. Next year he leaves. So, I think this is him taking steps to be in the world on his own.”
“This isn’t my first job but this is one of my favorite jobs so far,” Dave’s Hot Chicken cashier Jada Jones said. “It’s perfect. It’s very interactive. I love being hype. I’m energetic.”
Logistically, a private event for friends, family and the media allowed employees to practice their duties and complete training before dealing with the general public.
“Whenever we open a restaurant, it’s always very busy because Dave’s has a cult following. And we need them to practice,” Edwards said. “This [event] allows them to go through the motions of a normal day at Dave’s.”
The restaurant has graffiti art on the wall which Edwards said is different at every Dave’s Hot Chicken location.
“So, every restaurant is unique,” he added.
The Black Foodies, a married couple and Instagram food reviewers who go by “Dino Dean” and “Miss Coretta,” sat at a table sampling chicken at the different levels of available hotness.
“We’re going to go from the mildest to the hottest. I’m going to have The Reaper and they make you sign a waiver. I signed a waiver and I’m going to be getting it on,” Dino said. “Me and my wife love Nashville hot and this is about as authentic as it gets.”
