Dave's Hot Chicken

The Challenge

Unstable Technology During Rapid Expansion

Dave’s Hot Chicken, America’s fastest-growing restaurant chain as recognized by Technomic, has become a beloved brand with over 700 locations in development and explosive sales growth of 156% year-over-year. Known for its bold flavors and cult-like following, the brand needed a technology solution to match its rapid expansion.

They faced critical operational hurdles during their aggressive growth phase, opening multiple restaurants weekly. The primary challenge was ensuring system stability during new restaurant launches—a pivotal factor for maintaining high revenue and guest satisfaction.

Key Pain points:

• NRO along with sentiment about early launches struggled to stay operational
• First-weekend system and POS issues led to significant revenue risks
• Previous technology required four (4) full days of on-site IT support per new location

"Opening a new restaurant that generates $25,000 in daily sales, only to have the system fail, is simply unacceptable. It’s a non-starter for us.”
JIM BITTICKS, President & COO, Dave's Hot Chicken

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The Solution

Qu's Robust Infrastructure

After a thorough evaluation process, Dave’s Hot Chicken selected Qu as its technology partner for its ability to deliver reliable and scalable solutions. According to CTO Leon Davoyan, Qu’s infrastructure is “built out of brick versus some of the other competitors that are built out of straw.”

Key Benefits:

• Reduced on-site IT intervention from four days to near zero, transitioning to a reliable remote support model.
• Achieved 100% uptime during critical first-weekend launches, ensuring flawless openings.
• Improved operational metrics with zero technology-related launch failures across 30+ locations since July.
• Enhanced employee and franchisee satisfaction by simplifying IT support and maintaining consistent reliability.
• Scalable infrastructure to support rapid expansion across multiple locations.
• Seamless integration of restaurant technology, enabling efficient operations.

By partnering with Qu, Dave’s Hot Chicken transformed its technology, including its POS, from a potential growth limiter to a scalable, reliable platform supporting their aggressive expansion strategy.