Ovation to Help Dave’s Hot Chicken Gather Real-Time Insights and Connect with Guests as it Expands to New Markets
Dave’s Hot Chicken, a trailblazing fast-casual chain known for its mouth-watering hot chicken and impressive growth trajectory, has announced its partnership with Ovation, the leading guest experience platform for restaurants that starts with a 2-question survey to drive revenue, streamline guest recovery, and easily improve operations.
Through this partnership, Dave’s Hot Chicken will leverage Ovation’s innovative guest experience and feedback platform to enhance guest satisfaction and gain real-time insights into customer experiences across its rapidly growing network of locations. This collaboration underscores the brand’s commitment to delivering not only delicious food but also exceptional service. Ovation’s platform will help Dave’s Hot Chicken seamlessly capture guest feedback, operationalize change across their hundreds of locations, recover at-risk customers, and boost its reputation even further as it continues its expansion into new markets?.
“As a brand that prides itself on creating a memorable guest experience, partnering with Ovation was a natural fit,” said Jim Bitticks, President and COO of Dave’s Hot Chicken. “Ovation’s intuitive platform will help us maintain our high standards of service as we grow, allowing us to stay connected with our fans and deliver the outstanding service they expect from Dave’s Hot Chicken.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken uses Ovation to gather significantly more feedback facilitated by integrations with solutions like the online ordering platform, Olo, and strategically positioned QR codes for both on and off-premises occasions. From there, happy guests drive revenue through gift card purchases, reviews, and catering orders. Unhappy guests are placed into a private conversation with management, who can resolve issues easily through AI-powered responses.
Zack Oates, Founder and CEO of Ovation, remarked, “It’s such an honor to be partnered with what is clearly a world-class organization full of top talent and dedicated restaurateurs. Dave’s has created a cult-like following through their excellent service and delicious chicken, and we’re excited to help them engage even further with their guests.”
Early results are promising for this partnership. In the first weeks since roll out, Dave’s Hot Chicken has received over 15,000 surveys, 400 saved customers, and a 14% increase in Yelp reviews.
In a modern-day American dream story, three childhood friends, Chef Dave Kopushyan, Arman Oganesyan and Tommy Rubenyan, scraped together $900 to launch Dave’s Hot Chicken in a parking lot, portable fryers and folding tables in tow, in 2017. Dave’s Hot Chicken quickly took off, opening an East Hollywood brick-and-mortar restaurant shortly after, with support from Tommy’s brother, Gary. In 2019, the team struck a deal with Wetzel’s Pretzels co-founder and former CEO, Bill Phelps, and movie producer John Davis to begin franchising the Dave’s Hot Chicken concept throughout the U.S. and beyond. The company has sold the rights to more than 1,000 franchise locations in the U.S., Middle East, U.K., Ireland, and Canada and will open 70-plus locations this year. Harkening back to an Eater LA blog that helped propel early interest in the brand, the company’s mission is to “blow their minds.” Additional brand investors include Billboard Artists, Drake and Usher, former California First Lady Maria Shriver, actor Samuel L. Jackson, and Good Morning America anchor and retired NFL player Michael Strahan.
Ovation is a guest experience platform for multi-unit restaurants that starts with a 2-question survey to drive revenue, streamline guest recovery, and easily improve operations. Thousands of restaurants, including leading brands like Dave’s Hot Chicken, MOOYAH, and Gregorys Coffee, are using Ovation to get more feedback through frictionless surveys, recover guests through real-time communication, boost their online reputations, and improve through AI-driven insights. Discover how Ovation can transform your restaurant’s guest experience at OvationUp.com.
