Dave's Hot Chicken

The reviews made us hesitant to give Dave’s a try, but I’m sure glad we checked it out. Absolutely amazing food with as much kick as you can handle. The building could be a little better, but I appreciate them using an existing structure rather than adding the crowded areas around Tucson. Staff was friendly and professional. Highly recommended if you want some good chicken with real flavor.

Early afternoon on a Friday I ordered a #2 which was two sliders with extra hot sauce, fries and drink. The register prompted me to give a tip, which I personally find to be a repulsive practice because it undermines the intent of a tip when the point of sale is prior to services rendered. Had I known it's all self service, I would have forgone a tip. Regardless, I gave a $2.40 tip which totalled $19.77 for my lunch. I haven't paid that much for a lunch at a fast food place in a long time, so you can imagine I had high expectations. It didn't take long at all to be completely disappointed. I suppose it's hard to call it fast food when I stood there for 13 minutes waiting for my food which I had to retrieve myself. If a tip is an expectation and the food isn't fast, serve the customer the meal while they sit at a table and wait. The "sliders" were not sliders at all. They were big chicken tenders on a small bun with pickles, red onion, lettuce and a sweet and spicy sauce. The chicken was decent. It was cooked well and the breading wasn't overwhelmingly greasy. The pickles do not go well with spicy chicken. The crinkled fries were inconsistent and nothing worth remembering. Some were loaded with seasoning and some had none. Some were crunchy while others weren't. Overall, I was underwhelmed and full of regret. I don't plan on returning and suggest you save your money and do the same.

I waited 10 minutes in line to order and then 17 minutes to receive the food. The service was slow but the staff are friendly and attentive. The restaurant is not well maintained, there's trash under the tables, the ice machine didn't work so there was leaking water on the floor, and the trash bin was overflowing. My main issue is that the chicken is SO INCREDIBLY salty I had to tear the skin off and even then I had to throw the food away. Super disappointed with the food, it is way too salty!