Dave’s Hot Chicken announced the promotion of Jim Bitticks to president and Chief Operating Officer, effective immediately. As president and Chief Operating Officer, Jim will take the lead role in ensuring the successful growth and expansion of Dave’s Hot Chicken across the country.

“Jim is an incredible leader who has brought on wonderful, best-in-class associates to support our franchisees’ aggressive growth plans,” says Dave’s Hot Chicken’s CEO, Bill Phelps. “After joining the Dave’s Hot Chicken brand as Chief Operations Officer in July of 2020, Jim quickly put together the systems and processes enabling this brand to confidently scale at its rapid pace.”

Jim started in the restaurant industry as a busboy in his teens. He later worked for various QSR chains including CKE Restaurants where he worked his way through the ranks and eventually became a Vice President of Operations overseeing the San Diego market. In 2013, Jim joined Blaze Pizza to lead operations and training when the company had just two locations open. While at Blaze, he was promoted to Chief Restaurant Officer where he oversaw the brand’s operations, training, and construction teams, helping Blaze Pizza grow from two locations to more than 350 restaurants across the country.

“Dave’s Hot Chicken is on its way to becoming one of the iconic restaurant brands,” says Jim Bitticks. “We’re grounded in our promise to offer mind-blowing hot chicken, turn guests into fans, and empower our team members to grow. As we continue to expand, working hand-in-hand with our world-class franchise partners to support their growth and deliver on that promise is our top priority.”