Dave’s Hot Chicken releases ‘Davezempic’ mini sliders
Naming a fast-food item after a weight-loss drug is a choice
Audio By Carbonatix
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Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell is known for dropping references to specific pharmaceutical drugs in his songs — to ground them in reality, but also because, he once told The New York Times, “I think I just love the sound those words make.”
Could that be in part what’s driving all the buzz about Ozempic, a medication first approved for treating type 2 diabetes that, thanks to celebrity endorsements, has since come to be viewed by the public as a weight-loss “miracle drug”? Nevermind the fact that the version of the drug used to treat obesity is sold under the brand name Wegovy; Ozempic just sounds better.
It’s perhaps no surprise then that the Dave’s Hot Chicken chain has named its latest menu item after the drug: “Mini Sliders” dubbed “Davezempic.”
According to the California-based company:
“What started as a tongue-in-cheek observation quickly turned into a full-blown fun idea: our new Mini Sliders are the perfect meal for one — or for four people on Ozempic. With social media buzzing about the appetite-curbing powers of the drug, and memes flying faster than one of our drive-thrus on a busy day, we saw the perfect bite-sized opportunity. So, we’re sliding into the cultural moment with a wink, and we created something that is undeniably Dave’s — savvy, funny, and just the right size.”
Each order comes with four “Mini Sliders” (smaller than the chain’s typical Sliders) available in three spice levels, and topped with kale slaw, pickles, and Dave’s Sauce. They’re also available in the company’s Dave NOT Chicken meatless option made from fried cauliflower.
They sell for around $7.49 for four or $10.49 with fries.
The sliders are available at all Dave’s Hot Chicken locations starting on Tuesday, April 15, but they were available for journalists and social media influencers to try at a preview event at the chain’s Troy store on Thursday.
The sliders were even served with a fake medical syringe filled with hot sauce.
To be honest, naming a fast-food item geared toward young males after a weight-loss drug whose average users are women in their 40s seems like perhaps a tone-deaf choice to us (though a 2023 study from Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan found use of the drugs surging among female adolescents and young adults). But hey, maybe people just love the sound those words make.
They sure were tasty, though.
