A tale of 2 Mike’s: Jersey Mike’s franchisee adds Mike’s Red Tacos to portfolio

March 5, 2026

When it comes to franchising, Mike seems to know Mike. Michael McGuire, a Minnesota operator who runs dozens of Jersey Mike's Subs locations, has signed on to…

Can Dave’s Hot Chicken leaders conjure magic from Mike's Red Tacos?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Mike's Red Tacos, a beef birria concept born just four years ago, has deals in place to open more than 200 locations. While the rapid expansion is turning…

Ovation secures $3M in funding led by customers

February 10, 2026

Ovation, a guest experience and operations platform for multi-unit restaurants, has raised $3 million in a funding round backed entirely by its own customers.

Founderology Growth Summit honoring inaugural 'Visionary Restaurant Founders'

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

To celebrate the spirit of innovation, the Founderology Growth Summit, being held Feb. 2-4 in Austin, will host a special ceremony to honor the "Top 5 Movers …

How Dave’s Hot Chicken went from a parking lot to a $1 billion sale

by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Dave's Hot Chicken began in a parking lot. It recently sold for $1 billion. The leaders behind the brand will speak at the Founderology Growth Summit on Feb. …

Dave's Hot Chicken hires Joshua Liggins as VP of franchise development

January 12, 2026

Dave's Hot Chicken announced Monday the appointment of Joshua Liggins as vice president of franchise development, a move intended to accelerate the brand's…

Dave’s Hot Chicken promotes Jim Bitticks to CEO

January 8, 2026

Bitticks will join the founders of Dave's Hot Chicken as the keynote speakers at the Founderology Growth Summit, Feb. 2-4 in Austin.

FastCasual opens nominations for 2026 Top 100 Movers & Shakers

January 7, 2026

Nominations close Feb. 8.

Dave's Hot Chicken tops Yelp's 2025 'Most Loved Brands'

December 12, 2025

Three of the top five spots went to fast casual chains, with Korean fried chicken franchise bb.q Chicken taking No. 3 and California burger icon In-N-Out…

Former Wendy's, Potbelly exec leading marketing at Dave's Hot Chicken

December 8, 2025

Dave's Hot Chicken has named Brandon Rhoten as its chief marketing officer, bringing on the former Wendy's and Potbelly executive to lead the chain's marketing…

The next great restaurant differentiator: Staying 'always on'

by Amir Hudda — CEO, Qu

Jack in the Box, Golden Corral, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Blaze Pizza and Golden Chick didn't miss a beat in October when a massive cloud outage brought parts of…

Dave's Hot Chicken franchisee fights labor lawsuits with biometrics

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Cody Wong, president of CW Strong, a franchisee of Dave's Hot Chicken and Carl's Jr, dicusses how implementing a labor management platform is saving his…

Founderology Growth Summit: The breakthrough experience Founders must attend

by Kathleen Wood — Founder, K. Wood Partners

Built for Founders. Powered by Founders.

Dave's Hot Chicken signs 180-unit European deal

September 2, 2025

Dave's Hot Chicken, a Los Angeles-based fast casual chain, has finalized an agreement with the UK-based Azzurri Group to develop 180 restaurants across 1…

Dave's Hot Chicken COO: Winning the Top 100, growing from 4 to 300 units

Join Restaurant Masterminds hosts Paul Barron and Cherryh Cansler as they sit down with Jim Bitticks, president and COO of Dave's Hot Chicken, to discuss…

Tapping data to drive personalized guest experiences in the restaurant

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

Top restaurant leaders will share insight on how to leverage data analytics and loyalty programs to deliver personalized experiences at the upcoming Fast…

Dave's Hot Chicken lands majority investment from Roark

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

June 2, 2025

The company's valuation is $1 billion.

Dave’s Hot Chicken prescribing 'Davezempic'

April 14, 2025

The newest menu item at Dave's Hot Chicken is small on size but huge on flavor. By Tuesday, the company will debut Mini Sliders across its 300 locations. Each…

Restaurant leaders share why AI, data, emotional intelligence are keys to franchise success

by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com

When it comes to growing and sustaining a successful franchise, brands would do well to tap AI to drive expansion, leverage emotional intelligence to drive…

Dave's launches catering

February 25, 2025

Dave's Hot Chicken has launched a catering program in partnership with ezCater.