Peter Ungerleider said nervous energy coursed through him as he waited for a colleague to unlock the doors and invite inside a line of people that had formed.
Dave’s Hot Chicken officially opens March 6, but Ungerleider, General Manager Adam Campos and visiting team trainer Jeff Fuerst, who also is the managing partner of the Tampa Bay-area locations, opted for a quiet opening at 11 a.m. March 5 at 7925 Dani Drive, off Six Mile Cypress Parkway. The restaurant sits in the southwest quadrant of the Colonial Boulevard and Interstate 75 intersection in the same shopping center as Chicken Salad Chick and Crumbl Cookies.
Dave’s Hot Chicken did no marketing that day but still drew a line of about 30 people. By noon, the restaurant was packed…