A vacant Whataburger building on S. Broadway Avenue in Tyler may soon have a new tenant. Dave’s Hot Chicken is planning a location there, with construction expected to begin in November and a targeted opening date of April 16, 2027. The chain plans to spend roughly $500,000 renovating the space in front of Walmart, and permits have reportedly been filed with the State of Texas.

Dave’s Hot Chicken launched in 2017 as a parking lot pop-up in East Hollywood and has since expanded to 45 states. The closest existing Texas location to Tyler is in Mesquite on Town East Blvd. The menu centers on hot chicken tenders and sliders with seven spice levels, and the hottest option, the Reaper, requires customers to sign a waiver before digging in.

If the Tyler location opens as planned, it would join a packed local chicken market that already includes Chick-fil-A, Raising Cane’s, Slim Chickens, Layne’s, Golden Chick, and Chicken Express. Whether the area can support another chicken restaurant remains to be seen, but local listeners have plenty of opinions.

What do you think, Waxahachie? Is seven chicken chains in one area too many, or are you ready for a Reaper-level challenge?