Houston TX Hot Chicken, the American fried chicken chain, will open its first UK restaurant at Stevenage Leisure Park in Hertfordshire in October. It will be the chain's first location outside the United States.
Expansion Plans and Partnership
The company plans to open a total of 50 locations across the UK over the next three years. Two further UK restaurants are planned before the end of 2026, although their locations have not yet been revealed.
The expansion comes through a partnership with PizzaExpress, which has acquired the rights to operate the brand across Europe.
Menu and Origins
The chain was founded in 2021 by Edmond Barseghian and now has restaurants across states including Texas, California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. Its chicken is marinated in buttermilk and cooked to order, with customers able to choose from several different spice levels.
The menu includes its Original Hot Chicken Sandwich alongside tenders, nuggets, Belgian waffles, loaded fries, salads and house-made lemonades. The most extreme option, the “Houston, We Have a Problem!” sauce, comes in at two million on the Scoville scale and is so hot that customers have to sign a waiver before ordering it. Milder options include honey butter and buffalo.
Reactions and Next Steps
Paula MacKenzie, group chief executive of PizzaExpress, said: “Houston Hot Chicken has attitude. It has personality. And it knows how to make an entrance. Stevenage is where Britain meets Houston Hot Chicken for the very first time and we’ve got every intention of making sure it's impossible to ignore.”
Brian Simowitz, president of Houston TX Hot Chicken, said: “Working with PizzaExpress to expand internationally is exciting. No one knows fried chicken better than HHC, and no one knows the UK better than PizzaExpress. We're ready to bring something unexpected to UK consumers.”
Andrew K. Smith, managing director of Savory Fund, which backs Houston TX Hot Chicken, said: “HHC has built something rare with genuine cultural energy. Taking that to the UK through PizzaExpress, with their scale and market knowledge, accelerates the brand's trajectory. This is a significant moment.”
More details about where the next restaurants will open are expected in the coming weeks.
