HNT Chicken (short for "Hot 'n' Tender") is a Brazilian fast-food chain incorporated in 2014 by Dany Levkovits. Its first store located in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
opened in 1995. The company has 39 chains across eight Brazilian states. The company began looking toward expansion in 2015 and opened its first United States expansion in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
in December 2019.
History
The first restaurant was opened in 1995 in Rio de Janeiro and expanded to 39 locations across Brazil. The chain was incorporated in 2014 and its CEO is Dany Levkovits. After looking to expand in 2015, the company established a venture with 19-year-old Ronak Pandya, son of entrepreneur and restaurateur Jay Pandya, who owns dozens of restaurants in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Private equity fund, Moonbeam Capital Investments, is funding HNT's expansion into the United States East Coast.
The company is projected to open 65 locations "by the end of 2020 and 100 by June 2021". The franchise is expected to open 1,000 jobs. Between 40-50 locations are expected to open in the Philadelphia region.
The first restaurant expansion in the region opened in December 2019 near
Philadelphia Mills
Philadelphia Mills (formerly and still referred to as Franklin Mills) is an enclosed shopping mall in Northeast Philadelphia, bordering Bensalem in Bucks County and from Center City. Formerly named for Benjamin Franklin, the mall is home to 12 ...
.
See also
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List of chicken restaurants
This is a list of notable chicken restaurants. This list includes casual dining, fast casual and fast food restaurants which typically specialize in chicken dishes such as fried chicken, chicken and waffles, Chicken sandwiches or chicken and ...
References
External links
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{{chicken chains
Fast-food chains of Brazil
Food and drink companies based in Rio de Janeiro (city)
Regional restaurant chains in the United States
Restaurants established in 1995
Brazilian brands
Fast-food poultry restaurants
1995 establishments in Brazil