Dave’s Hot Chicken is turning up the heat, innovating at every turn.
As one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the nation, Dave’s Hot Chicken is maintaining momentum and evolving operations to fit its unique vibe through the launch of humorous, YouTube-style training videos infused with the brand’s humor and personality. Produced by director and cinematographer Ben Hess, whose portfolio includes projects with ESPN, Snapchat, and Adidas, and notable artists Keke Palmer, Jack Harlow, and Wiz Khalifa, the videos are a fresh and exciting approach to restaurant training, blending entertaining content and visually captivating graphics with easy-to-learn processes that fit the brand’s fun, unconventional character.
The new training system offers a more consistent, engaging approach, moving away from traditional printed guides and long in-person sessions to dynamic videos that cover all positions at Dave’s Hot Chicken in 12 minutes or less. The videos bring the brand’s energy to life, featuring real training team members alongside actors in guest roles, with cameo appearances by the brand’s founders to connect new team members to Dave’s mission to “blow their minds and make them fans.” The training videos have already started earning recognition, recently earning a spot as a finalist for The Learning Awards in the category of Innovation in Learning, showcasing the impact and creativity of this new approach.
Dave’s has invested heavily in its training infrastructure since its inception as a franchise concept. The brand boasts a training team of over 40 certified trainers, including eight restaurant opening leaders who can provide on-the-ground support to multiple restaurant openings simultaneously, ensuring quality and consistency as the brand continues to grow rapidly.
“As a fast-growing franchise brand opening about 100 restaurants per year, our main job is to fuel the growth of our franchisees by providing on-demand systems and tools that help them build better businesses,” said Jim Bitticks, President and COO of Dave’s Hot Chicken. “Creating training videos that entertain and engage our younger, digital-forward team members was a huge priority for us.”
With generous doses of humor and special effects that draw on popular, superhero film tropes, the videos are fun and entertaining to watch, even among people who don’t work in restaurants. It doesn’t hurt that the creators of the videos are similar in age to the restaurant team members who they are designed for, so they have a very good idea of what kind of humor and cultural references will resonate the most. From humorously distorted faces to dimensional portals, each video also has a storyline that delivers the desired message in ways that trainees are interested in seeing them through to the very end.
“The new videos cut training time in half, and they keep everyone motivated and entertained. Additionally, they get new team members immersed in the brand’s culture starting on day one,” said Juan Lopez, SVP of operations and training. “Our videos make training fun again – they’re funny and engaging, and team members actually want to watch them,” said Dylan Bitticks, Director of Training, who also stars in each of the videos.
The new training program includes 14 videos covering all positions at Dave’s Hot Chicken, allowing team members to learn every station with fun, easy-to-follow content on YouTube-style videos. Team members watch the videos on iPads via PlayerLync, the brand’s digital training app, which measures their progress through a real-time view of engagement metrics. The platform also allows Dave’s to make training materials accessible to all staff members while providing a venue for future innovations. Franchisees have reported higher employee engagement and a significant reduction in operational errors as a direct result of the videos.
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. 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 such as Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, Pittsburgh, and Mississippi.
