Usher is never one to do anything half-heartedly, so when he celebrated the opening of his new Dave’s Hot Chicken franchise earlier this week, he went all out.
The singer’s spot, which he owns along with Lawrence Kourie and Andrew Feghali, is the chain’s first location in Georgia — it’s in the Atlanta suburb of Conyers.
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Their soft opening on Thursday (August 29) featured a drone show that, among other designs, spelled out the name of Usher’s hit single “Let It Burn.” The star himself was not present, due to being on tour.
Check out video of the drone show below, via 11Alive.
Usher’s restaurant is the first of nine planned Atlanta-area locations for the chain.
“Dave’s Hot Chicken is some of the best hot chicken I’ve ever had,” the singer said in a statement. “Once I tried Dave’s Hot Chicken and spoke with the founders of the brand, I knew I wanted to be involved with the company. I’m excited to open Atlanta’s first Dave’s Hot Chicken and look forward to everyone from my hometown trying it.”
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Ursh is not the only music celebrity to get involved with the chain.
Back in the fall of 2021, Bloomberg reported that Drake became an investor.
According to the report, Drake received a minority stake in Dave’s Hot Chicken, giving him less than 50% ownership. However, he stood alongside Boston Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner and actor Samuel L. Jackson as the three big-name investors (at that point) in Dave’s Hot Chicken.
“I tried the food, and it was amazing,” Drake said in a statement at the time. “After meeting the founders and hearing their story, I jumped at the opportunity to invest.”
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Fans quickly put together that Drake had alluded to the investment on his Instagram Story in May of 2021, several months before the news became public. Fresh off winning Billboard’s artist of the decade award, the Certified Lover Boy posted a picture of himself chowing down on a chicken tender meal from Dave’s Hot Chicken. Most fans didn’t know what to think of the picture, but many in California praised Drake for eating at the then-new company.
