Darius Garland, the all-star point guard for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, has invested in the emerging fast casual Hot Chicken Takeover, the company announced Tuesday. Terms of the investment were not disclosed.
Along with becoming an investment partner, Garland also will receive a seat on the board of directors for the Columbus, Ohio-based brand.
“It makes sense for a couple of reasons: No. 1 [is] obviously his notoriety, especially being in Ohio, being able to … build brand awareness for our business,” said Phil Petrilli, founder and CEO of Hot Chicken Takeover parent Untamed Brands. “It just felt like such a natural connection out of the gate, one that could benefit Darius substantially, too, as he builds a career that's off the court.”
Garland played at Vanderbilt University in Nashville before he was the fifth overall pick by the Cavaliers in the 2019 NBA Draft. He said in an exclusive interview with Nation’s Restaurant News that Hot Chicken Takeover’s location in Cleveland’s Crocker Park became one of his favorite restaurants, making the investment opportunity a “no brainer.”
“It has a variety of options on the menu, great food options of course,” Garland said. “Most importantly, it's very welcome, great employees — they always have a smile on their face. They always welcome people in. It’s just heartfelt.”
Noting the company’s status as a fair chance employer and its practice of hiring formerly incarcerated or homeless members of the community, Garland added, “I'm just always trying to help the community out, and that's what the company does for the people.”
Hot Chicken Takeover was founded in 2014 and has expanded to eight Ohio locations. In 2021, the fast casual was acquired by Untamed Brands, which Petrilli — a former Chipotle executive — had founded that same year as a restaurant group investing in emerging concepts. Untamed also owns the New York City-based Mediterranean fast casual Taim.
To kick off the relationship, Hot Chicken Takeover is getting help from Garland to launch new waffle fries and an “Unholy Heat” level.
Long-term, Petrilli said the company hopes to leverage Garland’s status to open a location in the Cavaliers’ Rocket Mortgage Field House, as well as additional locations in the Cleveland area. He noted that Garland will be tasked with building brand affinity among other athletes and Clevelanders alike.
Garland’s position on the board of directors, Petrilli added, will also help Hot Chicken Takeover stay apprised of consumer trends that could positively impact the business.
“We recognize Darius has legions of fans that span lots of different demographics, so he's exposed to what people find to be exciting out there these days, what people are looking for,” he said. “He travels a lot for work, and so he gets to see a lot of places and get exposed to things that we may not be able to know about as restaurateurs.”
Garland joins a long history of professional athletes investing in the restaurant industry. Most recently, NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has made waves with his Big Chicken concept, while former NFL quarterback Drew Brees is a partner in Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux. Countless others have become restaurant franchisees.
The point guard noted that his competitiveness in basketball is one of the prime traits he hopes will translate to the business world.
“I'm always trying to be the best on the court, so I'm trying to bring my completive spirit into this,” Garland said. “I want to grow the company as much as I can with the help of everyone on board, and just try to grow the company around the surrounding areas in Cleveland as much as I can. That's where my fan base is, so I want them to tap into some of the stuff that I like, and this is one of the things that I really like and I really enjoy.”
