Vestal Dave’s Hot Chicken About to Open at Old Blaze Pizza Site

The "hot chicken" restaurant war is heating up in Broome County as a new entrant is about to enter the battle.

Dave's Hot Chicken is preparing to fire up its fryers at its new location in Vestal.

The restaurant will be located at 3714 Vestal Parkway East, which had been home to Blaze Pizza until about three months ago. Blaze went out of business at the end of August, about six years after the site had opened.

The transformation from Blaze to Dave's moved quickly. A colorful van featuring Dave's Hot Chicken logo and artwork was in the restaurant's parking lot even as workers were removing equipment two days after the pizza place closed.

The Parkway site has had a storied history of fast food businesses over the last six decades. It was home to Broome County's first McDonald's drive-in, which opened in April 1963.

Employees of Dave's Hot Chicken were busy inside the soon-to-open restaurant on Wednesday. They declined to answer questions about the new operation but most of the interior preparations appeared to have been completed.

An online listing indicates the Vestal Parkway location is to open December 19. But Dave's Hot Chicken's corporate office told WNBF News the anticipated grand opening date is December 20.

In an email, a spokesperson indicated about 70 people are to be hired to work at the Vestal restaurant.

Dave's Hot Chicken got its start in the Los Angeles area in 2017. The company this month announced it had opened its 250th restaurant with the launch of a location in London.

A Nanu's Nashville Hot Chicken restaurant opened in downtown Binghamton last January. That eatery is located at 7 Court Street, just west of the Boscov's department store.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.