We’re thrilled to be joined by Jim Bitticks, President and Chief Operating Officer at Dave’s Hot Chicken. Jim’s journey started at just 15 years old, and since then, he’s been instrumental in scaling brands like CKE, Blaze Pizza and now Dave’s Hot Chicken. Under his leadership, Dave’s Hot Chicken has grown from four locations to over 200, with plans for 1,000 by the end of 2024. In this episode, Jim shares the lessons from his vast experience and offers insights into the future of restaurant franchising and innovation.

Key Takeaways:

(04:55) Lessons learned from scaling Blaze Pizza.

(06:20) Establishing core values for brand consistency.

(07:42) Dave’s Hot Chicken’s origins as a parking lot pop-up.

(09:22) The power of user-generated content.

(14:22) Creative training videos to engage employees.

(20:05) High Google ratings and ROI drive franchisee success.

(24:33) PlayerLync (now Wisetail) ensures smooth video training without buffering.

(35:31) Automation reduces stress and boosts efficiency.

(38:10) Innovation is led by collaboration and tech solutions.

Resources Mentioned:

Jim Bitticks - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-bitticks-cfe-0bb37515/

Dave's Hot Chicken | Website - https://franchise.daveshotchicken.com/dhcfranchising/

Wisetail | Website - https://wisetail.com?utm_source=podcastplatforms&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=wise-tales-podcast

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