Cinnaholic, Dave’s Hot Chicken hope to open soon in Wilmington area
Despite uncertainty in the restaurant business, several food brands hope to open in the Wilmington market in coming months.
And they’ll be bringing Nashville-style hot chicken, vegan cinnamon buns, and a healthy meal prep concept.
Healthy James may not be a well-known name right now, but Greg George, co-founder of the locally based Emerging Food Franchises, says it will be.
“This company is going to be big news,” he said. “We are already up to 16 locations in 90 days.”
Four of those will be in Southeastern North Carolina: Wilmington, Leland, Hampstead and Jacksonville. Others are set for Louisville (where it was founded), Knoxville and Little Rock.
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George said he expects the Wilmington location to open by early March. He describes Healthy James as a boutique health-and-food business that will offer order-ahead meal prep, a smoothie bar, cold pressed juices and healthy snacks.
Treats with a healthy twist is also a focus of Cinnaholic, which hopes to open in March at Mayfaire. It’s a bakery that allows customers to customize cinnamon rolls with more than 20 frosting flavors and 20 topping options.
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“Cinnaholic appealed to me because of their unique concept and emerging brand,” said Rose Glinski, a local realtor and the franchise owner.
She also likes the company because the cinnamon rolls are well-suited for those with certain food allergies or dietary restrictions. Each roll is vegan and free of dairy, lactose, eggs and cholesterol.
“And it is delicious,” she said.
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The company began in 2009 in Berkeley, Calif. In 2014, the founders, Shannon and Florian Radke, appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank and soon adopted a franchise model. There are now more than 50 locations across the U.S. and Canada. In North Carolina, you can find three in the greater Charlotte area and one in Cary.
While Dave’s Hot Chicken doesn’t have a specific location mapped out yet, the company has signed an agreement with a franchise group to bring 10 locations throughout North Carolina, which will be the first of these restaurants on the East Coast.
In addition to Wilmington, Dave’s is expected to arrive in Jacksonville, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville and Burlington. The first should open this fall, said Cole Koretos, spokesperson.
The L.A.-based company began when chef Dave Kopushyan and three friends opened as a parking lot pop-up to bring the spicy fried chicken that is a regional specialty of Nashville to California. Now, there are more than 240 restaurants and those in the works.
Look for hot chicken tenders and sliders, with spice levels ranging from “No Spice” to “Reaper,” and sides of house-made kale slaw, mac-and-cheese, and crispy fries or cheese fries.
