Dave’s Hot Chicken, the renowned fast-casual restaurant chain known for its mouthwatering Nashville-style hot chicken, continued its impressive growth after an influx of new deals, openings and menu innovation that outperforms competitors in the industry. In 2023 thus far, the brand has signed various new franchise groups, contributing towards its goal to end the year with a total of 170 units. With various openings in the pipeline across the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, the brand is excited over its promising prospects in the year ahead.

“The past six months have put Dave’s Hot Chicken in a position for growth that exceeds others in the fast casual segment,” said Shannon Swenson, VP of Franchise Development at Dave’s Hot Chicken. “The unwavering support of our customers and the dedication of our passionate team have been instrumental in our current success. As we’ve entered new markets, we remain focused on delivering exceptional dining experiences to more communities across the nation.”

Building on its current momentum, Dave’s Hot Chicken found several avenues to continue growing its large-scale presence, including strategic new hires, expanding its social media channels, introducing new menu offerings and entering into high-profile partnerships. To support the robust 2023 growth initiatives, Dave’s Hot Chicken continued to invest in its best-in-class executive team, with the additions of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Brad Haley, and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Leon Davoyan.

In addition to the added strength on its leadership bench, the brand has also continued to develop its social media following. With almost 1 million followers on Instagram, Dave’s Hot Chicken quickly amassed over 1.1 million followers on TikTok by leveraging user-generated content from its army of passionate fans.

“The growth we’re experiencing wouldn’t be possible without our awesome team, great vendor partners and the team of seasoned multi-unit operators that have joined our network,” added Jim Bitticks, President & COO of Dave’s Hot Chicken. “We’re dominating the fast-casual and chicken categories because of the emphasis we’ve put on surrounding ourselves with the best people who truly share our passion for restaurant operations and creating a unique dining experience for our customers. We’re well positioned to have another epic year.”

Earlier this year in Oregon, the company also expanded its test of “Dave’s NOT Chicken,” which substitutes its famous chicken with thick-cut slices of cauliflower for guests who prefer meat alternatives. The brand also launched a new app with a loyalty program that allows its fans to earn points for doing the thing they love, eating at Dave’s Hot Chicken. For more fun, the brand announced another new partnership in June with A-list celebrity-investor, Drake, and his It’s All a Blur concert tour. Combining the massive appeal of Dave’s and Drake, the collaboration is giving away hundreds of tickets to guests to attend concert stops around the country.

Dave’s Hot Chicken has captured the eye of the culinary world, garnering a string of prestigious awards for its exceptional flavors and innovative approach to modern dining. Among the numerous honors, Dave’s Hot Chicken has been named as number one with the coveted Nation’s Restaurant News “Top 500” franchise award, acknowledging its unique spin on Nashville-style hot chicken and its rapid rise in popularity. Additionally, the restaurant’s dedication to “shaking up” the fast-casual industry earned the brand acknowledgment with Fast Casual’s “Top Movers and Shakers” award, proving Dave’s dedication to leading industry trends and staying ahead of competitors in a crowding segment. CEO Bill Phelps also made Fast Casual’s Top 25 Executives list, preceding his initiation into the Fast Casual Hall of Fame later this year.

Founded by Arman Oganesyan and classically-trained chef Dave Kopushyan, along with brothers, Tommy and Gary Rubenyan in early 2017, Dave’s Hot Chicken initially opened as a parking lot pop-up, with lines quickly wrapping around the block. Since then, the brand has exploded in popularity and now has over 140 locations in the United States and Canada.

Dave’s Hot Chicken offers a robust business model, including national and local marketing support, proven systems, manuals and operating procedures, as well as assistance with site selection. As the brand expands, it is seeking qualified, experienced, and passionate restaurant operators and franchise groups to develop the concept in key markets.

About Dave’s Hot Chicken

In a modern-day American dream story, three childhood friends, Chef Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan and Tommy Rubenyan, scraped together $900 to launch Dave’s Hot Chicken in a parking lot, portable fryers and folding tables in tow, in 2017. Dave’s Hot Chicken quickly took off, opening an East Hollywood brick-and-mortar restaurant shortly after, with support from Tommy’s brother, Gary. In 2019, the team struck a deal with Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder and former CEO, Bill Phelps, and movie producer John Davis to begin franchising the Dave’s Hot Chicken concept throughout the U.S. and beyond.  The company has sold the rights to more than 700 franchise locations in the U.S., Middle East and Canada and will open 70-plus locations this year. Harkening back to an Eater LA blog that helped propel early interest in the brand, the company’s mission is to “blow their minds.” Additional brand investors include Billboard’s Artist of the Decade, Drake, former California First Lady Maria Shriver, actor Samuel L. Jackson, and Good Morning America anchor and retired NFL player Michael Strahan.

Original Article:
[H/T] RestaurantBusinessOnline.com