Fast-growing Dave’s Hot Chicken has elevated its COO to president and chief operating officer.
Jim Bitticks is a 30-year restaurant operations veteran, who started in the industry in his teens as a busboy. He worked at Blaze Pizza for seven years before joining Dave’s. At Blaze, Bitticks started as the head of operations and training when the chain had just two locations. He was later promoted to chief restaurant officer, helping Blaze grow to 350 restaurants.
Dave’s Hot Chicken CEO Bill Phelps, the former head of Wetzel’s Pretzels, was one of the first investors in Blaze Pizza. He said Bitticks will be responsible for steering Dave’s growth.
“Jim is an incredible leader who has brought on wonderful, best-in-class associates to support our franchisees’ aggressive growth plans,” Phelps said in a statement. “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.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken was founded as a parking lot pop-up in Los Angeles in 2017. The 22-unit concept said it intends to open 25 more restaurants by the end of the year and that it has sold the rights to more than 500 franchised units.
In September, the chain said that Canadian rapper Drake had taken a minority stake in the brand, becoming one of Dave’s largest individual investors.
“Dave’s Hot Chicken is on its way to becoming one of the iconic restaurant brands,” Bitticks said in a statement. “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.”
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