Houston TX Hot Chicken, one of the fastest-growing hot chicken concepts in the country, today announced the appointment of Brian Simowitz as President.
Simowitz has spent the last 18 years on the franchise support side of the restaurant industry. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Operations for Slim Chickens, which has 300+ locations and where he was responsible for both corporate and franchise growth. Prior to that, he spent eight years on Applebee’s international team growing and supporting the brand in numerous countries. Additionally, he and his wife, Kelly, were owners of several restaurant brands in Minnesota.
“I’m thrilled to join Houston TX Hot Chicken and be part of its exciting rapid growth in the fast-casual segment,” Simowitz said. “I’m truly energized by the great vision of our founder Edmond Barseghian. His passion for delivering bold flavors, great service, and a unique dining experience has perfectly laid the foundation for HHC. I’m excited to work alongside him, as well as collaborate with Andrew K. Smith and the great team from Savory Fund who have a deep expertise in scaling high-growth brands.”
Founded in 2021 by Edmond Barseghian — who is HHC’s Chief Marketing Officer — the brand currently has 20 locations across eight states and 350K+ followers across its social media channels. In 2023, it entered into a strategic growth partnership with Savory Fund, a Utah-based private equity firm that invests into emerging restaurant concepts. HHC now has 300 franchise commitments with plans to have 75 stores open by the end of 2025.
“Brian is a phenomenal talent and an incredible addition to the HHC team,” said Andrew K. Smith, managing director of Savory Fund. “He is adept at both corporate and franchise growth, and he will be able to take this electrifying brand to the next level.”
Known for its hot chicken sandwiches, tenders, salads, soup, waffle shakes, and loaded fries, the unique eatery has seven signature sauces ranging from “No Spice” to “Honey Butter,” to “Liftoff” to “Houston, We Have a Problem!” It has catered to both authenticity and commercial appeal, which has heat-seekers all over the map making HHC a dining destination.
“When we began HHC, we set out to disrupt and dominate the hot chicken industry,” said Barseghian, CMO. “We’re well on our way there, but Brian is just the secret sauce we need to take our journey to the next level. It’s going to be a thrilling ride, and I’m excited to get started.”
