A meal at a Nashville hot chicken restaurant runs between $12 and $20 for a plate with two sides, white bread, and pickles. Hot chicken has always been working-class food and the pricing, while it has crept upward with Nashville’s general cost inflation, remains accessible compared to most sit-down dining in the city.
Specific Price Ranges
At Hattie B’s, expect to pay in the $10 to $20 range for a plate depending on protein choice and cut. A small white or dark meat plate with two sides runs around $14 to $16. A half bird is at the higher end of the range. They accept credit cards, have a rewards app, and the overall transaction experience is fast-casual efficient.
At Prince’s and other traditional spots, the pricing is similar and often slightly lower. These restaurants also tend to be cash-friendly though most accept cards. A standard plate with two sides lands around $12 to $16 depending on the cut.
Bolton’s, 400 Degrees, and other traditional-style spots run in the same range. The meal format is similar: pick your heat level, pick your pieces or tenders, pick two sides.
Red’s Hot Chicken, the current top pick from The Infatuation, is a walk-up window operation and slightly more economical. Their pricing reflects the smaller operation and lack of dining room overhead.
Party Fowl, as a full-service bar and restaurant, prices higher because you are paying for table service, drinks, and a more elaborate food program. Expect a larger bill.
What Drives the Cost
Hot chicken is fundamentally an economical dish. Chicken, flour, cayenne, lard, white bread, and pickles are inexpensive. What you are paying for at any Nashville hot chicken restaurant is the labor of proper preparation (marinating, hand-breading, frying to order), the real estate costs in a Nashville market that has grown significantly more expensive over the past decade, and, at places like Hattie B’s, the brand premium.
Traditional spots like Bolton’s and Prince’s remain priced more accessibly than their reputation might suggest. A full meal at either is comparable in cost to a fast food combo meal at the high end of that category.
Nashville Hot Chicken Nationally
For comparison, the national chains that have adopted the Nashville Hot format price at their standard levels. KFC’s Nashville Hot items were priced at around $5 to $6 for individual meals when launched in 2016. Dave’s Hot Chicken, the LA-originated chain now at over 180 locations, prices a tenders plate with two sliders in the $12 to $16 range. Neither of these is the same thing as Nashville hot chicken, but the price points give context for what the market expects to pay for “Nashville Hot” at various quality levels.
The actual dish, at the restaurants where it is prepared correctly in Nashville, is not significantly more expensive than a McDonald’s combo meal. For what it is, it is one of the better values in American dining.
Sources
- Hattie B’s Hot Chicken, Nashville Hot Chicken Guide pricing, https://nashvillehotchicken.net/restaurants/hattie-bs-midtown
- CNN Money, KFC Nashville Hot Chicken launch pricing, https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/15/news/kfc-nashville-hot-chicken/
- Wingaddicts, “The History of Nashville Hot Chicken,” https://www.wingaddicts.com/blog/nashvillehot
- The Infatuation Nashville, “The 9 Best Nashville Hot Chicken Restaurants, Ranked,” https://www.theinfatuation.com/nashville/guides/best-hot-chicken-restaurants-nashville