Throughout ancient mythology, birds have often prefigured good fortune for characters keen enough to spot them.

So it goes then that during the early days, when the three 20-somethings behind Dave’s Hot Chicken laid eyes on a single, limp rubber chicken for sale — just as they meandered around a local swap meet in the search of cheap kitchen equipment — it stopped them dead.

“We're like, what are the chances there's one rubber chicken inside a kitchen store, when we're trying to open up a chicken restaurant,” said Arman Oganesyan, one of the three cofounders along with Tommy Rubenyan and Dave Kopushyan.

The trio announced earlier this week that they signed what’s purported to be a billion-dollar deal with Roark Capital, a private equity firm that owns brands like Dunkin' and Baskin-Robb

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