How do you make a hot chicken concept stand out? Angry Chickz’s answer: Make the chicken “the most interesting chicken in the world.”
The brand opened its first restaurant in 2018 and has since expanded to 27 locations, with two more opening in December. Growing Angry Chickz has meant further development of the brand identity, including creation of a waiver customers sign to eat the hottest heat level and building a persona out of its logo.
Vice President of Franchise Development Mike LaRue credited founder and CEO David Mkhitaryan with thinking up the concept for Angry Chickz’s mascot, an adventurous chicken following the likes of James Bond and Dos Equis’ “most interesting man in the world.”
Mike LaRue
“We’ve created this persona within the brand that’s just fun,” LaRue said. “We really want to create an experience that when people walk in the doors, they walk out and say, ‘Wow, that was cool.’ I think a lot of people jump on the train because they hear hot chicken, but it’s not that simple. There has to be more than that.”
Angry Chickz’s first franchise is slated to open in Houston in early February, and additional five-unit and eight-unit deals are in the works. LaRue, who most recently was Jinya Ramen’s vice president of franchise sales and spent five years at the Halal Guys, said the company’s goal is to open five franchises next year.
“I’ve always been kind of against the grain of franchise sales, so I wanted to be able to incorporate that into what we are doing,” he said.
The restaurant’s branding is bold and in your face, from displaying its mascot in space and riding jet skis to touting its “life-changing chicken” on the company website. But LaRue said he actively avoids cliches and sensationalist claims when discussing the franchise model with potential franchisees.
“I always feel like if I have to sell someone on Angry Chickz, they’re probably not the right fit,” he said. “We can give them the information that we have, and they either get it or they don’t—and if they don’t, that’s OK.”
The cost to open an Angry Chickz franchise ranges from $418,000 to $1 million, according to its franchise disclosure document. Average gross sales hit $1.8 million in 2023.
Angry Chickz’s first franchise will open in Houston in early February.
Much of LaRue’s decision-making in developing brands is guided by his three-question approach, asking if something is good for the brand, the franchisee and the market. He said he witnessed unsuccessful developments that only ticked off one or two of those boxes, so he looks to always check off all three with Angry Chickz.
Sometimes this has meant staying under the radar and slowing things down.
“I think in franchise sales, there’s this stigma of overselling … and a lot of times brands grow for the sake of growing versus growing with the right groups,” LaRue said.
LaRue hopes to eventually incorporate its franchisees in the interview process with prospects, a process he previously used with other brands. When people come in for a discovery day, he added, the goal is for them to think Angry Chickz feels different.
“We want to build something special and have the mentality of, if we take care of our people, then they’re going to take care of us, and they’re going to take care of the guests,” he said. “We want to be this amazing brand that has huge impact on not just their employees and their team members and staff, but the communities they go into.”