Hot Chicken Takeover
Corporate brand
UnclaimedAn American fast-casual restaurant brand associated with Nashville-style hot chicken and a fair-chance employment mission.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Hot Chicken Takeover was an American fast-casual fried-chicken restaurant chain based in Columbus, Ohio. The brand specialized in Nashville-style hot chicken, a regional preparation traditionally associated with cayenne-forward seasoning and fried chicken, and offered several levels of heat alongside familiar Southern-style accompaniments. Its early identity combined a focused menu with a social-employment mission: the company positioned itself as a fair-chance employer for people reentering the workforce after incarceration, people affected by homelessness, and others who faced barriers to conventional employment. Founder Joe DeLoss encountered Nashville hot chicken during a 2013 visit to Nashville, Tennessee. He subsequently developed the business as a pop-up operation, beginning in April 2014. Later that year, the company used a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to help finance the purchase of a food truck. The truck became an important part of the brand's early presence, and it was later recognized by readers of Columbus Underground as Columbus's best food truck in both 2015 and 2016. The restaurant concept expanded from mobile service into fixed locations in the Columbus area. By 2018, it had restaurants in the historic North Market building in downtown Columbus, Clintonville, and Easton Gateway at Easton Town Center, while continuing to operate a food truck. The chain entered the Cleveland area in 2019 with a restaurant at Crocker Park in Westlake. DeLoss also discussed franchising as a possible route for future growth, although the available reference material does not establish the extent to which that plan was implemented. Hot Chicken Takeover received substantial attention for its employment practices. In 2016, more than 70 percent of its employees were reported to be formerly incarcerated or formerly affected by homelessness. The company described its hiring approach in terms of personal growth and responsiveness to coaching rather than a conventional employment history. Its support programs included financial-literacy training, private personal counseling, and emergency interest-free payday loans or cash assistance intended to reduce employees' reliance on predatory lenders. These policies made workforce development and economic stability central elements of the brand's public identity, rather than treating them as a peripheral charitable program. Ownership changed during the chain's later period. Untamed Brands acquired Hot Chicken Takeover in 2021. Untamed Brands was subsequently taken over by Craveworthy Brands in May 2024. In October 2024, Craveworthy Brands chief executive Gregg Majewski announced that its Chicago-based The Budlong Southern Chicken concept would be combined with Hot Chicken Takeover under the HCT: Southern Chicken name. The reworked menu added items including chicken-fried steak, hushpuppies, cornbread, and sweet tea. Columbus-area restaurants were expected to retain the Hot Chicken Takeover name at that stage. The available reference material records a substantial contraction in 2025. Five locations reportedly closed during the year: one each in January, March, and July, followed by three in September. The former North Market location, which had been the brand's first fixed site, was reported to close on September 20, 2025. On the supplied evidence, Hot Chicken Takeover is therefore treated as defunct as a standalone operating chain, while the HCT: Southern Chicken name represented an attempted continuation or consolidation of part of the concept under Craveworthy Brands.
History
Hot Chicken Takeover originated in Columbus, Ohio, after founder Joe DeLoss encountered Nashville hot chicken during a 2013 trip to Nashville, Tennessee. The initial business was organized as a pop-up restaurant in April 2014. Later in 2014, the company launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a food truck, giving the concept a mobile platform before it developed a broader restaurant footprint. The food truck was an important part of the brand's early visibility in Columbus. Columbus Underground readers named it the city's best food truck in 2015 and 2016. The business subsequently moved into permanent sites, including its first location in the historic North Market building in downtown Columbus. By 2018, the chain had three Columbus-area restaurants: North Market, Clintonville, and Easton Gateway at Easton Town Center. It also continued to operate a food truck. The brand's next documented geographic expansion came in 2019, when it opened at Crocker Park in Westlake, marking its debut in the Cleveland area. The company differentiated itself not only through Nashville-style fried chicken but also through its employment philosophy. It publicly presented itself as a fair-chance employer, creating opportunities for formerly incarcerated people, people affected by homelessness, and others who had difficulty obtaining work. In 2016, more than 70 percent of its employees were reported to have been formerly incarcerated or formerly affected by homelessness. DeLoss described the desired employee profile in terms of a willingness to grow and respond to coaching rather than relying solely on a conventional background check or résumé. Hot Chicken Takeover supplemented employment with support services. These included financial-literacy education, private counseling, and emergency zero-interest payday loans or cash assistance. The stated objective was to help employees manage short-term financial emergencies without turning to predatory lenders. This employment model generated significant media coverage and became a defining part of the brand's public identity. DeLoss also discussed expansion through franchising in 2016, although the available material does not document the full outcome of that proposal. Ownership changed in 2021 when Untamed Brands acquired the chain. In May 2024, Craveworthy Brands took over Untamed Brands. Later that year, Craveworthy chief executive Gregg Majewski announced a structural and brand consolidation: The Budlong Southern Chicken, a Chicago-based sister concept, would be combined with Hot Chicken Takeover under the name HCT: Southern Chicken. The revised menu added chicken-fried steak, hushpuppies, cornbread, and sweet tea, broadening the offer beyond the earlier hot-chicken focus. Columbus-area sites were to continue using the Hot Chicken Takeover name. The remaining operating network contracted in 2025. The supplied reference records five closures during the year, with one location closing in January, another in March, another in July, and three in September. The former North Market location closed on September 20, 2025. On that basis, the original Hot Chicken Takeover chain is classified here as defunct, while HCT: Southern Chicken represents the subsequent concept consolidation associated with Craveworthy Brands.
- 2025
Standalone restaurant network closes
[1]Five locations reportedly closed during 2025, including the former North Market location on September 20.
- 2024
Moves into Craveworthy Brands portfolio
[1]Craveworthy Brands took over Untamed Brands in May.
- 2024
HCT: Southern Chicken consolidation announced
[1]Craveworthy announced that The Budlong Southern Chicken would be combined with Hot Chicken Takeover under the HCT: Southern Chicken name.
- 2021
Acquired by Untamed Brands
[1]Untamed Brands acquired Hot Chicken Takeover.
- 2019
Cleveland-area debut
[1]Hot Chicken Takeover opened at Crocker Park in Westlake, Ohio.
- 2018
Three Columbus-area locations documented
[1]The chain operated restaurants at North Market, Clintonville, and Easton Gateway while continuing its food-truck operation.
- 2014
Pop-up restaurant launches
[1]Hot Chicken Takeover began operating as a pop-up restaurant in Columbus in April.
- 2014
Kickstarter funds food-truck expansion
[1]The company used Kickstarter crowdfunding to support the purchase of a food truck.
- 2013
Founder encounters Nashville hot chicken
[1]Joe DeLoss visited Nashville and was introduced to the regional hot-chicken specialty that later became the foundation of the restaurant concept.
Products and positioning
Fast-casual Southern fried chicken with a community-oriented fair-chance employment model.
Main dish · 2014
Nashville-style hot chicken
The brand's core offering was fried chicken prepared in the Nashville hot-chicken tradition. Customers could select among different spice levels, making heat customization a central part of the menu experience.
Meal · 2014
Hot chicken meals
Hot Chicken Takeover served its chicken in fast-casual meal formats accompanied by Southern-style side dishes. The meal format translated the pop-up and food-truck concept into permanent restaurant service.
Side dish and beverage · 2024
Southern sides and beverages
The menu included supporting Southern foods and drinks. The later HCT: Southern Chicken menu specifically added hushpuppies, cornbread, and sweet tea, complementing the chicken-centered offer.
Main dish · 2024
Chicken-fried steak
Chicken-fried steak was introduced as part of the broader menu announced with the HCT: Southern Chicken consolidation, extending the concept into a wider Southern comfort-food direction.
Marketing campaigns
- 2014Kickstarter food-truck campaign
United States · Columbus, Ohio
The company used Kickstarter crowdfunding to finance the purchase of a food truck during its early development.
Outcome. The campaign supported the food-truck operating model that helped establish the brand in Columbus.
- 2014Fair-chance employment model
United States
Hot Chicken Takeover built its public identity around hiring people with barriers to conventional employment, including formerly incarcerated people and people affected by homelessness.
Outcome. The model attracted significant media attention and became a defining part of the brand's positioning.
Brand decisions
2025
Close remaining standalone locationsStrategyBackground
The supplied reference records a series of location closures during 2025 following the HCT: Southern Chicken consolidation.
Action taken
Five locations reportedly closed during the year, including the former North Market site on September 20.
Aftermath
The standalone Hot Chicken Takeover restaurant chain is treated as defunct on the available evidence.
2024
Combine The Budlong with Hot Chicken TakeoverStrategyBackground
After Craveworthy Brands took over Untamed Brands, the portfolio included the Chicago-based The Budlong Southern Chicken concept and Hot Chicken Takeover.
Action taken
Craveworthy announced that The Budlong would be combined with Hot Chicken Takeover under the HCT: Southern Chicken name, while Columbus-area locations would retain the Hot Chicken Takeover name.
Aftermath
The combined concept received a broader Southern menu, including chicken-fried steak, hushpuppies, cornbread, and sweet tea.
2021
Join Untamed BrandsM&ABackground
Hot Chicken Takeover had developed from a Columbus pop-up and food truck into a regional restaurant chain.
Action taken
Untamed Brands acquired the restaurant chain.
Aftermath
The brand later became part of the Craveworthy Brands portfolio when Craveworthy took over Untamed Brands in 2024.
Recent events
Reported
Hot Chicken Takeover announces planned downtown delivery-only kitchen[2]
Hot Chicken Takeover announced plans to open a delivery-only kitchen downtown; the site was selected to improve customer accessibility.
Reported
Hot Chicken Takeover announces Crocker Park shop opening[3]
Hot Chicken Takeover announced that its Crocker Park location in Ohio was scheduled to open to the public on October 8, 2019.
Sources3 sources
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