Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken is cooking up a Tysons restaurant

The stage is being set in western Tysons for a battle royale between Nashville-style hot chicken chains.

Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken, a rapidly expanding brand that started in the Richmond area, plans to open a new restaurant in Tysons Square (8359-A Leesburg Pike) — next door to Pike 7 Plaza, where a Dave’s Hot Chicken is expected to launch this year.

The competition doesn’t seem to faze Hangry Joe’s.

“We are very confident in our products because our chickens are packed with flavor and prepared in a generous size,” the business told FFXnow. “It is important for us that the customers get what they pay for and can enjoy every bite of it.”

Conceived by Sweet Frog founder Derek Cha and his business partner Mike Kim, Hangry Joe’s has multiplied since the original location opened in Ashland in 2021. There are now 15 franchises in Virginia, including two in Fairfax City and ones in Herndon, Centreville and Oakton.

The company says its goal is “to expand all across the country.” In addition to the Tysons location, it has a franchisee signed to bring a fourth restaurant to the Alexandria area, following sites in Newington, Van Dorn Plaza and Alexandria Commons.

A spokesperson didn’t provide an address, so it’s unclear whether the new restaurant will be in Alexandria City or Fairfax County.

“These areas are important markets for us because they are places of higher traffic and we want to expose our fast food restaurant to as many customers as we can,” Hangry Joe’s said.

In addition to its chicken sandwich, Hangry Joe’s menu features chicken fingers and bites, chicken with waffles, a salad with chicken breast, loaded fries and Korean chicken nuggets.

The company said in a statement that the spiciness of its food distinguishes it from other restaurants:

Being known for our levels of spiciness, our restaurants have fun challenging our brave customers to sign a waiver and eat the most spicy level, “Angry Hot”, if they think they can handle it. Customers that love to eat very spicy tell us they specifically come to our restaurant to meet their needs of spicy food.

Our customers should be receiving their food fresh as possible. That is why we prepare their dish right at the moment of their order. Our chicken is fresh and halal certified so that we can also cater to our Muslim community.

Located next to Capo Deli, the Tysons restaurant will occupy a 1,035-square-foot space previously filled by the juice shop Robeks.

The suite is slightly smaller than Hangry Joe’s typical footprint of about 1,200 to 2,000 square feet, but the business says its menu and design “are generally consistent across all locations.”

Though it hasn’t set an opening date, Hangry Joe’s said construction generally takes about six months. No building permit applications have been filed with Fairfax County yet.

The company advises watching its Instagram page for announcements of upcoming openings.