What Houston TX Hot Chicken does

Houston TX Hot Chicken (HHC) is a Las Vegas-headquartered fast-casual restaurant chain founded in 2021 by Edmond Barseghian and Houston Crosta, specializing in all-natural, free-range, halal-certified Nashville hot chicken. The core menu centers on the Original Hot Chicken Sandwich served on a brioche bun with house sauce, pickles, and slaw, augmented by chicken tenders and nuggets, multiple loaded fry variants, Belgian waffles, salads, milkshakes, and a proprietary 8-tier spice system ranging from "No Spice" (0 SHU) to the signature "Houston, We Have A Problem!" (2M SHU, waiver required). The technology stack is conventional restaurant SaaS: the Thanx platform powers the mobile app, online ordering, and loyalty program, while Toast handles POS and catering, and Stripe plus Basis Theory handle payment processing.

The business model is primarily a franchise-driven expansion, with company-level revenue from a mix of corporate restaurant sales, franchise fees and royalties, catering packages, and branded merchandise sold through shop.hhc.ooo. The brand sells to individual diners and families in physical locations plus through DoorDash, UberEats, and GrubHub delivery integrations, while generating a second-order B2B revenue stream from selling franchise rights to entrepreneurs and operators in approved territories. Savory Fund, a Utah-based private equity firm with over $750 million AUM and an 18-year restaurant scaling track record, is the principal financial backer.

By end of 2025 HHC operated 30+ locations across Arizona, California, Idaho, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Texas, Utah, and Washington, with 100+ franchise units sold and recognition including a 2025 Inc. 5000 ranking (No. 217). In June 2026 the company announced its first international expansion via a master franchise agreement with PizzaExpress for the UK market, targeting 50 sites within three years. Leadership is led by Founder Edmond Barseghian and President Brian Simowitz (appointed October 2024, formerly VP at Slim Chickens).

Name

Houston TX Hot Chicken

Legal name

Houston TX Hot Chicken LLC

Website

https://hhc.ooo

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Houston TX Hot Chicken is a Las Vegas-based fast-casual Nashville hot chicken chain, founded in 2021 and serving individual diners and families across 30+ franchise and corporate locations in 9 US states, with an 8-tier proprietary spice system and Savory Fund PE backing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Chicken Concepts (Fried/Grilled/Hot Chicken) (THAFABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hot Hold & Ready-to-Eat Meals (Rotisserie, Hot Bar, Entrées) (CRAHAKAB)

Keywords

• Nashville hot chicken
• Fast casual dining
• Chicken sandwiches
• Franchise restaurants
• Spicy chicken meals

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Sales: Revenue from direct restaurant sales at corporate and franchise locations, including dine-in, takeout, and delivery orders.
2. Franchise Fees and Royalties: Initial franchise fees and ongoing royalty payments from franchise operators. The brand has sold 100+ franchise units and operates across 9 US states.
3. Catering Services: Catering packages including original party package, sandwich package, tender package, and build-your-own feast options for events.
4. Merchandise and Online Shop: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, accessories, and gift cards through the online shop at shop.hhc.ooo.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Houston TX Hot Chicken operates a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Nashville-style hot chicken, anchored by the Original Hot Chicken Sandwich served on a brioche bun with signature house sauce. The menu offers 8 customizable spice levels (0 to 2,000,000 Scoville Heat Units), and includes tenders, nuggets, fries, salads, waffles, milkshakes, and cookies, with all chicken being all-natural, halal-certified, free-range, and never frozen. The company sells via dine-in, takeout, delivery, and catering across 30+ US locations and an expanding franchise network.

Product overview

Houston TX Hot Chicken (HHC) is a Las Vegas-based fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Nashville hot chicken. The core product portfolio centers on the Original Hot Chicken Sandwich (served on brioche bun with house sauce), complemented by Cheesy and Classic Chicken Sandwiches, Chicken Tenders, Chicken Nuggets, Belgian Waffles, and an array of sides including House/Loaded/Fusion/Cheese Fries, Texas Caesar and Southwest Salads. The menu also includes house-made Sauces (House Sauce, Cheese Sauce, Buffalo, Cilantro Ranch, Texas Caesar, Ranch, BBQ, Maple, Honey), Milkshakes (Waffle, Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry), and Cookies (Chocolate Chip, Cookie Monster, Red Velvet). Services include catering packages, a loyalty program powered by Thanx, and mobile ordering via iOS/Android app with third-party delivery integrations (DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub, Toast, EZ Cater). The brand was founded in 2021 by Edmond Barseghian and has expanded to 30+ locations across 9 U.S. states with backing from Savory Fund.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Original Hot Chicken Sandwich Flagship Nashville hot chicken sandwich featuring all-natural, buttermilk-marinated, cooked-to-order chicken served on a brioche bun with pickles, slaw, and house sauce; available across 8 spice levels from no spice to 2,000,000 SHU.
• Cheesy Hot Chicken Sandwich Original hot chicken sandwich variant topped with house-made cheese sauce for an extra creamy experience.
• Classic Chicken Sandwich Plain chicken sandwich with only pickles and no sauce, intended for diners who prefer a milder flavor.
• Chicken Tenders All-natural, free-range, never frozen hot chicken tenders seasoned to the customer's selected spice level; available as individual tenders or as part of meal combinations such as Tenders & Waffle.
• Chicken Nuggets Spicy crispy chicken nuggets made to order in the customer's desired spice level; available in portions of 5, 10, or 15.
• Loaded Fries Seasoned concertina fries topped with chopped tenders, slaw, pickles, and house sauce.
• Cheese Fries Seasoned concertina fries topped with fresh house-made cheese sauce.
• Fusion Fries Seasoned concertina fries topped with chopped tenders, cotija cheese, mangos, corn salsa, cilantro ranch, and house sauce.
• Texas Caesar Salad Fresh romaine lettuce with chopped tenders, spiced croutons, shaved parmesan, and Texas Caesar dressing.
• Southwest Salad Fresh romaine with chopped tenders, cotija cheese, corn salsa, cilantro ranch, and house sauce.
• Belgian Waffles Sweet and crunchy caramelized Liege Belgian waffles served as a side or as part of the Tenders & Waffle meal.
• Milkshakes Creamy milkshakes made with real ice cream, available in Waffle, Vanilla, Chocolate, and Strawberry flavors.
• Cookies Fresh-baked cookies available in Chocolate Chip, Cookie Monster (caramel bites, white and chocolate chips), and Red Velvet varieties.
• Catering Services Group catering packages including sandwich platters, tender trays, original party package, sandwich package, tender package, and build-your-own feast options for events and fundraisers, with a 20% off promotional offer.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grew to 30+ locations and 100+ franchise units by end of 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• PizzaExpressflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 June 2026Master franchise agreement for UK market expansion. PizzaExpress, operating nearly 500 locations across UK and Ireland, will serve as European master franchisee for HHC. Three UK locations planned for 2026 with target of 50 sites nationwide within three years. Partnership combines HHC's cult brand with PizzaExpress's operational infrastructure and market knowledge.
• ThanxcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology platform powering HHC's online ordering, loyalty program, and mobile app. Enables customers to earn rewards through qualifying purchases, access exclusive offers, and track progress. Also handles SMS marketing consent and payment card linking for loyalty tracking.
• DoorDashminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery platform integration for order delivery across all HHC US restaurant locations.
• UberEatsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery platform integration for order delivery across all HHC US restaurant locations.
• GrubHubminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party food delivery platform integration for order delivery across all HHC US restaurant locations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Dave's Hot Chicken: Fast-casual Nashville hot chicken concept founded in 2017 with celebrity backing; offers a tiered spice level system similar to HHC. Most direct competitor in the hot chicken niche with rapid franchise expansion.
• Slim Chickens: Fast-casual chicken tenders and wings chain with comparable menu structure and franchise model. Direct competitor where HHC's new President Brian Simowitz previously served as VP.
• Hattie B's Hot Chicken: Nashville-origin hot chicken restaurant chain with tiered heat levels. Closest direct competitor in authentic Nashville hot chicken positioning with multi-state presence.
• PDQ Chicken: Fast-casual chicken tenders and sandwiches chain with similar franchise model and Southern-inspired menu. Direct comparable in chicken-focused fast-casual segment.

Broad incumbents

• Raising Cane's: Dominant fast-casual chicken-focused chain with 700+ locations. Competes for the same chicken fast-casual occasion but with a single-item menu focused on chicken fingers.
• Chick-fil-A: Largest US chicken fast-food chain with 3,000+ locations. Sets the benchmark for chicken fast-casual economics and consumer mindshare that HHC competes against.
• Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen: National fried chicken QSR chain owned by RBI. Overlaps with HHC on spicy chicken sandwich occasion and scale of operations.
• Bojangles: Regional fast-casual chicken-and-biscuits chain with similar Southern-spiced menu positioning. Comparable fast-casual chicken model with franchise footprint.
• Wingstop: Specialty chicken wings franchise chain with 2,000+ locations globally. Comparable franchise-led, single-protein fast-casual model.
• Buffalo Wild Wings: National chicken wings and casual dining chain. Overlaps with HHC on spice-driven chicken menu and sports/casual dining occasion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hhchotchicken
• Facebookfacebook.com/houstontxhotchicken
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/houstontxhotchicken
• Instagraminstagram.com/hhc
• TikToktiktok.com/@houstontxhotchicken

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Houston TX Hot Chicken