Dave's Hot Chicken will officially open its doors at The Trafford Centre on Friday, October 23, with 200 free sliders given away to customers who sign up to the brand's app on opening day. The Nashville-style hot chicken chain, which already operates a Manchester store at The Printworks, will mark its second city location with the launch.
Opening details and menu
The new restaurant will offer a fast-casual dining experience designed for grab-and-go lunches and late-night bites. Guests can expect fresh-to-order chicken tenders and sliders, served across the brand's seven-level spice scale, ranging from Not Hot to the infamous Reaper level.
The Trafford Centre restaurant will be open Monday to Thursday, 11am until 11pm; Friday 11am until 1am; Saturday 10:30am until 11pm; and Sunday 10:30am until 10pm.
Launch celebration and quotes
To celebrate the launch, 200 free sliders will be given away to customers on opening day who sign up to the Dave's Hot Chicken app. The giveaway will be available on a first come, first served basis from the Manchester restaurant on Friday, October 23.
Keyana Mohammadi, Director of Marketing at Dave's Hot Chicken UK, said: "Manchester is a city that knows how to make an impression. It's bold, vibrant and full of personality - qualities that are at the heart of everything we do at Dave's Hot Chicken. We've had our sights set on Trafford Centre for some time, so we're thrilled to be bringing another Dave's to the city and serving up our crave-worthy hot chicken to even more Manchester heat-seekers."
Mohammadi added: "Opening another location in Manchester is a huge milestone for us as we continue to grow across the UK. We're excited to become an even bigger part of the city's thriving hospitality scene, create new opportunities locally and bring Trafford Centre a taste of the brand that's taken the world by storm."
Centre milestone and other openings
The launch comes just days after the shopping centre confirmed that every single unit is fully let. Bosses have said the 100 per cent occupancy is "unheard of in a centre of this size in the UK", cementing what has been a sustained period of growth for the giant shopping mall.
Despite economic headwinds, consumers have continued to flock in their thousands to the Trafford shopping centre in recent months. It also registered a record-breaking August, seeing 34,000 more visitors than across the whole of December 2025 - the previous busiest month of the year for the centre.
This summer has also seen a series of big openings, including new stores from fitness brands Lululemon, GARAGE and FootAsylum, as well as new toy shops from The Entertainer and the Disney Store inside Selfridges. Other openings this year will include sushi and bento box restaurant Wasabi, coming to The Orient on October 18, and Build-a-Bear is set to reopen following a major makeover the following day.
Following Uniqlo and Dave's Hot Chicken, there will also be a new-look Levi's store coming in November, with exact opening date yet to be confirmed. The current Levi's shop on Regent Crescent will remain open until then, with the new unit just opposite.
