Six spice levels and a cool culture help give Angry Chickz a leg up on in the fast-casual restaurant segment.
The 26-unit brand, based in Los Angeles, started as a 900-square-foot restaurant in the East Hollywood neighborhood and has grown to two other states: Arizona and Nevada.
Tonya McCoy, Angry Chickz vice president of marketing, said, “One of the things I really, really, really like about our company is the culture that we’ve established. So it’s not just about great food. It’s about everything that goes into that. And that’s really who we are.”
Founded by David Mkhitaryan in 2018, Angry Chickz has become a go-to destination for customers seeking bold, spicy fried chicken.
“We have six different spice levels,” McCoy said. “It starts at ‘country’ for those of us who might not be able to handle the heat. I would be one of those. Sometimes I do country, sometimes I do mild, and it kind of goes up from there all the way up to ‘angry,’ which is the hottest that we have. And you do have to sign a waiver for that. And we do have milk on hand in case you need the milk because [the chicken is] too spicy.”
Angry Chickz operates with non-alcoholic beverages, including lemonade, tea, and sodas.
The two best-selling items, McCoy said, are the Angry Mac and the Angry Chickz sliders.
“Our mac and cheese is amazing,” she said, “and then add chicken tenders to whatever spice level you want.”
Two sliders, known as the Classic No. 1 meal, come with fries, slaw, and pickles.
“It’s actually also phenomenal,” McCoy said. “There’s not a single product on our menu that I don't love.”
Before joining Angry Chickz, McCoy worked with Subway, both in marketing and operations.
The company has plans to continue expanding eastward.
“Right now, the majority of our growth is in California,” she said. “We do have a location that’s going to be opening in Houston sometime early next year. We’re looking at another location … in Phoenix. We have one now, [and we’re] looking to add another one. And we have one location in Las Vegas.” The Houston location is likely to open in the first quarter 2025, she noted.
Mkhitaryan’s passion for spice continues to drive the brand, McCoy said.
“He loves Nashville hot chicken,” McCoy said. “He wanted to be able to serve a really great product for his family and his friends. And at some point, he kept getting all of these requests and he thought, ‘Hey, you know what? I have this great idea. I should try it out.”
Mkhitaryan’s family had operated a Mediterranean restaurant, so he had some familiarity with the industry.
Angry Chickz responded to the question of “How’s the chicken?” with, “It will change your life.”
Angry Chickz franchises said in disclosure documents that the initial investment is $393,000 to just over $1 million. The Top Third system average unit volume is nearly $2.8 million, the company said.
Angry Chickz was named a 2024 Hot Concept by Nation’s Restaurant News, recognizing emerging chains from around the U.S. that have impressive growth momentum and the potential to become household names. COO Peter Tremblay will be speaking at CREATE, the free event for emerging restaurateurs, in Nashville this Oct. 9-11.
Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]
Follow him on X/Twitter: @RonRuggless
