The Nashville-style chain opens at Metrocentre’s Qube with a seven-level heat scale and free sliders for early app sign-ups
- Dave’s Hot Chicken opens a new restaurant at Metrocentre, Gateshead.
- Free sliders for the opening day via app registration.
- Restaurant offers a seven-level spice scale, including Reaper.
Dave’s Hot Chicken will open its second restaurant in the Newcastle area this month at Metrocentre in Gateshead. The Los Angeles-born brand, which specialises in Nashville-style hot chicken, is taking a unit in The Qube, and the opening is set for 13 November. To mark the occasion, the first 200 guests to sign up through the brand’s app will receive free sliders, a familiar opening-day offer that suits a brand built on word of mouth.
The menu follows the formula that has made the chain a social media favourite. Chicken tenders and sliders are served across a seven-level heat scale that runs from Not Hot to Reaper, and guests who choose the hottest level are asked to sign a waiver. Sides include mac and cheese, kale slaw, and loaded fries, and the newly launched saucy bites sit alongside milkshakes and slushers.
Keyana Mohammadi, Director of Marketing at Dave’s Hot Chicken UK, said the North East has already shown how much it likes the brand, and that the team is “turning up the heat with another location.” She described Metrocentre as a natural next step after the response to the first Newcastle restaurant. Ben Cox, Metrocentre’s asset director, said food and drink are a major reason visitors stay longer at the centre and called the chain a cult favourite that brings high-energy street food and a choice of spice levels.
Offers that depend on app sign-ups and a fixed number of rewards need careful tracking, especially when a brand is opening several restaurants in quick succession. Gorilla Dash features a Competitions and Promotions tool designed to help franchise operators set the rules for a giveaway, manage entries, and review results once the opening week has passed. That kind of structure can keep each launch consistent without adding work for the restaurant team.
Dave’s Hot Chicken operates in the UK in partnership with Azzurri Group, which has the exclusive right to roll the brand out across Europe. Its first London site became the highest-grossing restaurant Azzurri has launched, and the brand won One to Watch at the R200 Awards in 2025. The Gateshead opening follows the arrival of a second Manchester restaurant at the Trafford Centre earlier this month, a pace that suggests the brand sees plenty of appetite for heat across the north of England.
Key Facts:
| New Restaurant Location | Dave’s Hot Chicken is opening a restaurant at the Metrocentre in Gateshead. |
|---|---|
| Opening Day Promotion | 200 free sliders will be given away to app users on the first day on a first-come, first-served basis. |
| Spice Scale Menu | The restaurant features a seven-level spice scale, from Not Hot to Reaper, the hottest level requiring a signed waiver. |
| Additional Menu Offerings | Includes sides like mac & cheese, kale slaw, loaded fries, and desserts including creamy shakes. |
| Marketing Statement | Keyana Mohammadi, director of marketing, highlights the positive response from North East residents towards the brand. |
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