Dave’s Hot Chicken Free Slider Day lands today as the chain accelerates U.S. expansion

Dave’s Hot Chicken turns up the heat today with a nationwide Free Slider Day, a one-day giveaway that coincides with the brand’s late-October birthday festivities. The promo arrives as the Nashville-style hot chicken favorite continues a rapid growth streak, adding new markets across the U.S. and abroad and teasing bigger ambitions for 2026.

How to get your free Dave’s Hot Chicken slider today

The giveaway is simple—and app-based:

• When: Today, Thursday, October 23 (local store hours; expect busiest windows at lunch and early dinner).

• What you get: One free slider per guest.

• How: Download the Dave’s Hot Chicken app, create or log in to an account, and redeem the Free Slider reward in-store.

• Fine print: One per person; availability and hours vary by location; while supplies last.

Expect lines. The brand’s last big giveaway produced pre-opening queues and evening rushes, with some stores adding staff to manage flow. If you’re aiming for minimal wait times, target midafternoon or late evening.

What’s new on the Dave’s Hot Chicken menu

Alongside the signature tenders and full-size sliders (spice levels from No Spice to Reaper), the chain has rolled out Mini Sliders—smaller, snackable versions designed for mix-and-match orders. Crowd-pleasers like mac and cheese, fries, kale slaw, and milkshakes remain staples, with Top-Loaded Shakes offering customizable toppings.

Expansion update: new cities, new states, growing fanbase

Dave’s Hot Chicken is still in hypergrowth mode. Recent openings and announcements extend the footprint deeper into college towns and fast-growing suburbs, with additional leases in the pipeline for mountain and Plains states. In Montana, for example, the brand follows a strong first store with a Missoula opening in mid-November, and plans for Great Falls and Helena next. Similar multi-unit clusters are in motion across the Midwest and Southeast, a strategy that tightens supply chains and marketing for each region.

Internationally, the chain continues to build on a foothold established over the past two years, leveraging high-traffic urban sites and late-night demand to introduce the concept to new audiences without diluting the core menu.

Why Dave’s Hot Chicken keeps drawing lines

Three pillars explain the buzz:

1. Simple menu, big flavor: A tight lineup—tenders, sliders, sides—lets kitchens move fast while keeping quality consistent. The heat scale provides a low-barrier entry for newcomers and a bragging-rights capstone for spice chasers.

2. Social-first openings: Grand openings are treated like events—with merch drops, early-bird lines, and local tie-ins that turn first-day foot traffic into weeks of momentum.

3. Value moments: App-driven rewards (like Free Slider Day) convert casual trial into repeat visits by nudging guests back with points, drink perks, and limited-time items.

What to know before you go

• Plan your heat level: If you’ve never tried the Reaper, consider starting lower (Medium/Hot) and ladder up on a second visit.

• Order strategy: Sliders travel better than tenders if you’re grabbing takeout; ask for sauce on the side to preserve crunch.

• Queue tips: Lines often move faster than they look; most locations run split lines for app redemptions vs. full orders to keep things humming.

• Allergy notes: The kitchen handles wheat, dairy, and egg; check in-store signage for specifics.

The road ahead for Dave’s Hot Chicken

With new markets opening through the winter and spring, the brand’s near-term focus is on densifying clusters—three to five restaurants per metro—to improve delivery radius, reduce wait times, and support late-night service. Expect continued app promotions, seasonal sides, and selective collaborations that fit the brand’s street-food-to-fast-casual DNA.

Quick reference: Dave’s Hot Chicken at a glance

• Founded: 2017, Los Angeles

• Format: Fast-casual, counter service

• Signature: Nashville-style hot chicken tenders and sliders with a seven-step spice scale

• Sides & sweets: Fries, mac and cheese, kale slaw, shakes (with optional top-loads)

• Rewards: App-based points, periodic freebies, and drop-style promos like today’s Free Slider Day

If you’ve been curious about the hype, today is your easiest—and tastiest—entry point. Grab the app, snag your free slider, and decide which spice level is your lane as the brand spreads to even more neighborhoods in the months ahead.