We Drove Through A Snow Storm To Try Dave’s Hot Chicken, Was It Worth It?

This past Tuesday was a typical snow day in January here in Massachusetts, icy dicey roads, long lines on the major highways and looking in the fridge for something for lunch. My 20 something daughter suggested we try a new place because it wouldn't be too busy with all the snow. Hmmm that's because nobody wants to be on the roads, but Iam always game for a new eatery. That's when she suggested we go to the hottest new fast food restaurant in the area, Dave's Hot Chicken.

My wife and daughter anticipating a fine lunch

I had heard of it and seen the Woburn location a few times as I was either popping into Market Basket or dropping my wife off at HomeGoods, but never went in. That's why having your kids keep you up to date on what's the hottest and coolest things you need to know about, like the concept of Hot Chicken.

Ironically my daughter is a vegetarian and is always in search of a sandwich that she can literally sink her teeth into. When she saw an online post about Dave's Hot Chicken's new Hot Cauliflower Sandwich she had to have it.

Here are the 3 meals we got, the upper right corner is my daughter's Hot Cauli Sandwich, the middle is my Med Hot Chicken Sandwich and the upper left is my wife's sandwich with a massive hot tender. We shared the mac and cheese

You don't have to twist my arm when it comes to trying new restaurants, my wife was interested too because she loves spicy food more than any of us. Her idea of a refreshing drink is a spicy jalapeno margarita on a hot day.

Nice vibe inside Dave's Hot Chicken, Woburn

Located at what used to be the old Woburn Mall and now called Woburn Village a place that is packed with tons of dining options by the way. We got in rather easy as you would expect on a snow day. The restaurant is big and vibrant with a very nice staff and easy to understand menu, just be sure you know your limit when it comes to how spicy you like your food. To be on the safe side my wife and I opted for the medium spice and our daughter prefers the mildest. If you order Hot, be prepared for a little heat coming your way.

Like so many American dreams, ours had a humble beginning. Three childhood friends in their 20’s who scraped together $900. Our not-so-grand opening was in 2017, in a parking lot in East Hollywood, with a couple of folding tables and a portable fryer under the night sky.

But thanks to Instagram, people came. And tasted. And came back with their friends. Then, the buzz brought a reporter from EATER/LA. He took a bite of his first Dave’s Hot Chicken tender, and our world changed. The next day he posted, “East Hollywood’s New Late Night Hot Chicken Stand Might Blow Your Mind.”

We all enjoyed our lunch especially my daughter who already plans on returning for the Hot Cauli sandwich, the fries were the crinkled type and have a nice kick to them, the Hot Chicken sandwich's were fantastic. No skimping on the size of the chicken, it's too big for the bun, but who would ever complain about that? The mac and cheese was good but not as good as Chic fil A's version. The sauces were excellent as well as the idea of adding honey on the sandwich or the tenders which is what the counter recommended.

Both my wife and daughter had milkshakes, my daughter scored her chocolate higher than my wife rated the strawberry version. They both said that they were good and helped to cool that palate after a hot bite or two.

Overall we loved it and will absolutely put it in our Hot rotation of good fast food places that are reasonably priced. If you haven't tried it, it's worth crossing the road for (wink, wink)

Fast food is big, big business. Americans spent $320 BILLION in 2022. That's sooooo many french fries to get lost between your driver seat and center console! (A treat for later?) I started thinking about the country's obsession with fast food and wondering if Massachusetts lines up with the country as a whole when it comes to the abundance of certain fast food restaurants.

Stacker did the counting and provided the national data (updated in 2022). So what's your guess nationally? Does McDonalds hold the key to the fast food kingdom with the most national locations? How about in Massachusetts - does Massachusetts really run mostly on Dunkin' or did another chain edge them out for the #1 spot?

We're basing these countdowns on one thing: number of locations. These aren't necessarily the most popular fast food chains in the country and in Massachusetts, they just have the most locations. However, one could assume that the reason there are more locations is due to higher demand. Higher demand usually comes from higher popularity.

The first fast food restaurant in America is widely considered to be White Castle. It was founded in 1921 by Walter Anderson and Billy Ingram in Wichita, Kansas. White Castle is known for pioneering the assembly line production of hamburgers and for introducing the fast-food concept to the United States. While we don't have any White Castle locations here in Massachusetts, they do sell their micro hamburgers at area grocery stores so if you have a hankering for the OG fast food, it's a minute away in your microwave oven.

So let's do this. To get the full comparison, I'll first give you the 8 fast food restaurants with the most locations in the United States, then I'll give you the 8 fast food chains with the most locations in Massachusetts. Get your fiery sauce ready and let's go!

DOMINO'S
# of U.S. locations: 6,720
Founded in: 1960 in Ypsilanti, MI

BURGER KING
# of U.S. locations: 7,257
Founded in: 1954 in Miami, FL

TACO BELL
# of U.S. locations: 8,088
Founded in: 1962 in Downey, CA

HUNT BROTHERS PIZZA
# of U.S. locations: 9,240
Founded in: 1991 in Nashville, TN

DUNKIN'
# of U.S. locations: 9,412
Founded in: 1950 in Quincy, MA

McDONALDS
# of U.S. locations: 13,515
Founded in: 1955 in Des Plaines, IL

STARBUCKS
# of U.S. locations: 15,966
Founded in: 1971 in Seattle, WA

SUBWAY
# of U.S. locations: 20.603 (oh my soul!!!)
Founded in: 1965 in Bridgeport, CT

TACO BELL
# of U.S. locations: 75
Founded in: 1962 in Downey, CA

WENDY'S
# of U.S. locations: 98
Founded in: 1969 in Columbus, OH

BURGER KING
# of U.S. locations: 132
Founded in: 1954 in Miami, FL

DOMINO'S
# of U.S. locations: 161
Founded in: 1960 in Ypsilanti, MI

STARBUCKS
# of U.S. locations: 178
Founded in: 1971 in Seattle, WA

McDONALDS
# of U.S. locations: 239
Founded in: 1955 in Des Plaines, IL

SUBWAY
# of U.S. locations: 370
Founded in: 1965 in Bridgeport, CT

DUNKIN'
# of U.S. locations: 916
Founded in: 1950 in Quincy, MA