The Nashville Hot Chicken craze that has practically swathed the country in fiery fried chicken has yet to really take hold in San Diego but a new fast food restaurant taking flight in City Heights hopes to be a front-runner in launching the trend locally. FireBirds Chicken opens today in a 2,300-square-foot space on University Avenue that includes a patio.

Co-founder Abraham Kesablyan and his partner are both full-time students at UCSD who have spent the last year honing FireBirds’ menu into a pared-down lineup that centers around their Big Ol Sandwich, which features a boneless fried chicken breast, coleslaw, pickles, and cheese. It’s dressed with signature FireSauce that comes in mild, medium, hot, or “daredevil” spice levels. Other menu items include a duo of sliders made with fried chicken tenders on Hawaiian buns, a pair of tenders served with buttered toast, and FireFries — French fries topped with chicken and all the fixings.

The counter-service eatery is open daily at 11:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Kesablyan tells Eater that the partners are hoping to turn FireBirds into a chain, with plans to launch the next location within the next few months.