Dave's Hot Chicken — Restaurant in San Luis Obispo

As a super fan of the YouTube show Hot Ones, not to mention hot chicken sandwiches, I had long awaited the day I would sink my teeth into Dave’s legendary Hot Chicken. While on vacation in San Luis Obispo, we finally did just that.

Normally, I would be down to try the hottest sandwich available, but since it was Valentine’s Day, wisdom seemed a better choice than danger. I’ve had a few experiences with hot chicken sandwiches that led me to spending a painful evening in the restroom, a cramping stomach, or both. I did not wish to risk ruining Valentine’s Day. Therefore I ordered the second hottest sandwich and please allow me to say that it was fantastic. It was hot, but the heat didn’t overwhelm the flavor, which is the case at a lot of hot chicken establishments. My favorite local hot chicken has never had a contender battle it for my opinionated first place position… until now. The chicken was crispy and moist with a delicious breading. Dave’s sauce is amazing. They have a unique kale-slaw that I was skeptical about, and happy to be wrong about. Did I mention pickles? Not only do you get pickles, but a lot of pickle chips! Their fries are really good as well. My wife is not a fan of spice, so she ordered hers plain and loved it. We ordered the rugrats some chicken bits. When they say bits, they mean bits, not nuggets. The staff was incredibly friendly, especially Jolene! I haven’t had such pleasant service since I was vacationing in the south. She was sincerely friendly, professional, and hustled! There were more than ten patrons in line before us and it didn’t take more than five minutes before we ordered. And the food came FAST. There is ample seating inside and outside. They have a second dining room indoors and have a ton of outdoor space as well. You’ll need a code for the restroom, but that’s not really a big deal. Can’t wait to go back and sign the waiver and face the wrath of the hottest sandwich next time. But until then, I will dream of hot chicken, delicious pickles, kale, and a mascot that resembles...

Miranda at the location in SLO at Madonna Plaza was a total rock star! I ordered online and got there 5 mins. before closing and when I got there she was struggling with the milkshake machine, that had just filled my cup halfway and then quit working. She said it had been turning itself on and off all day, but that there was no one there who had the ability to take it off the on-line ordering app. But she was so accommodating! And stayed super calm and pleasant throughout our interaction. And all this even though I had already paid and it was now just a minute or 2 before closing! She kept trying to get the thing to work, but it wouldn't, so she offered me a couple of different options. I picked the option of filling the half-full milkshake cup with vanilla soft serve, and then she went to the trouble of trying to mix the 2 flavors with the wand of the malfunctioning milkshake machine. I so totally appreciated all her help, so late in the day, even though I'd already paid and there was no way to leave a tip. I love people like Miranda, who go the extra mile to help, even though there's no extra money involved. Such a lovely young lady! I've been super impressed with the customer service at this Dave's Hot Chicken location - it's been consistently above and beyond! I always notice these things after spending years in food service myself. And I totally appreciate that I'm not asked to tip at Dave's! It drives me crazy that everyone everywhere asks for tips these days. Table service with an actual server gets tips - generally speaking I don't want to tip anyone doing less than that. Food prices are already so high, and everyone's struggling, so I truly appreciate that Dave's provides excellent customer service without being asked to pay extra for it. Thank you Dave's! And especially thank you Miranda! And congratulations Dave's, for having an employee...

Came in with my wife ,were the first customers and made our order and went to sit down at the table to wait.My wife sat down and her whole pants got stuck to the seat with either catchup or chicken grease. She went up to the counter and asked the lady for a clean washcloth to try to get all the food stuck to her pants off and the lady gave her a paper towel and was like oh sorry that was it.my wife proceeded to go to the bathroom and try to clean up the mess covering her entire backside, but it was just beyond possible. My wife then tried asking the lady for help and the lady was very unsympathetic. Refused to give her any information on upper management to make a complaint or talk to a manager .I just bought her those pants and they were very expensive and we did not live close to Dave’s chicken to even go get a clean pair of pants and change before we finished our outing for the afternoon. I will never take my wife back to this establishment again. The lady was so ghetto and did not give a care of even helping at all. She was more on the defense of , she didn’t see anything and she didn’t know what was on the seat. I mean, who does not clean their seats when they open up for the day and has ketchup or grease all stuck all over the seats and someone comes along and sits in it. And to top it all off, we left our information for the manager to call the next day and sure enough never got a call...