This partnership will enhance decision-making across the business, positioning Haven to achieve their expansion goals and consistently elevate their guest experience
NEW YORK, Dec. 10, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bikky, a customer data platform built exclusively for multi-unit restaurants, announced a partnership with Haven Hot Chicken, a rapidly expanding Nashville-style Hot Chicken concept.
Founded in 2020 by four local restauranteurs, Haven Hot Chicken has found wild success bringing the best Hot Chicken and Not Chicken its guests have ever had. The brand opened their ninth location this summer, celebrated their status as one of the fastest growing businesses in the state and country, and had their flagship chicken sandwich named "Best Bite in Town” by the Food Network.
With major growth plans from day one and a strong focus on unit economics, Haven knew they wanted to work with enterprise-grade tech as they scaled. Agility, useability, and responsive support were at the top of their list, and Bikky checked all the boxes.
Since working with Bikky, Haven has unlocked the ability to track and analyze the behavior of their guests across all locations, and deeply understand who their guests are. Bikky's partnership empowers the team to make data-backed decisions and target people who their brand will resonate with.
"Before Bikky, we were in the dark about our guests but pretending we had night vision goggles. We were doing our best with what we had, but there was so much we didn't know,” says Jason Sobocinski, President and Co-Founder. "The data that Bikky provides gives us a clearer picture of our guests, giving us answers to questions from our menu to marketing, and helping us better evaluate real estate as we open new locations.”
The team recently leveraged Bikky to evaluate a lower-selling menu item and whether it should remain on their menu. Analysis revealed that while their caesar salad wasn't a critical sales driver, it played a strategic role in driving frequency, offering guests a healthier way to engage with the brand. With Bikky, Haven was able to examine the long-term impact of a menu item and make a confident decision about their menu mix.
"Without the insight that Bikky provides us with, we would have read the data very differently and eliminated the menu item,” added Sobocinski. "That single insight solidified Bikky's value for the whole team.”
Haven is also taking advantage of Bikky's robust data to develop a strong sense of their guest-base and make more precise decisions across the business. After opening a new location near an existing store, they were able to analyze how guests split between the two locations, allowing them to pinpoint where their marketing efforts and community engagement would have the most impact. "Knowing exactly where we need to build awareness is game changing,” says Sobocinski. "Before Bikky we were just raining out brand awareness. Now we're like a heat seeking missile that can maximize ROI.”
This refined understanding of guest demographics will be instrumental in site selection for future locations, a critical part of Haven's plans for 2025. With inflation easing and interest rates going down, existing and potential restauranteurs are cautiously optimistic. Operators may be more willing to expand or invest in new concepts, making the battle for real estate more calculated than in past years. Armed with detailed information about their guest base, core demographics, high frequency guests, and more, Haven feels more prepared than ever to meet their ambitious goals.
"We're not data scientists, so having a partner that listens, provides solutions, and helps you as you're having challenges, means we can use the platform to its full potential," added Sobocinski.
"It's an honor to partner with Haven Hot Chicken, one of America's hottest fast casual brands,” says Bikky co-founder and CEO Abhinav Kapur. "They've got an ambitious store growth plan to more than double their store count next year and bring their hit concept to new guests in new markets. We're proud to be the data partner that's going to help them measure the success of these expansion efforts.”
The fastest-growing, most innovative restaurants look to Bikky for unprecedented insight into how their decisions directly impact consumer behavior and top-line sales. Haven Hot Chicken is the latest brand to adopt Bikky's groundbreaking guest data and analytics platform alongside Dave's Hot Chicken, Robeks, Eggs Up Grill, Bojangles, and others.
To learn more about Bikky, visit https://www.bikky.com.
About Haven Hot Chicken
Haven Hot Chicken is a rapidly expanding Nashville-style Hot Chicken concept with a mission to satisfy the world's craving for something better and serve the BEST Hot Chicken and Not Chicken its guests have ever had. With nine locations in Connecticut, the concept was founded in 2020 by local restaurateurs Rob LaTronica, Craig Sklar, Jason Sobocinski, and Etkin Tekin.
Serving chicken and its "not chicken” vegetarian option ranging from no spice to very spicy, the menu features the epic and signature "THE Sandwich,” as well as other featured mains, classic sides and seasonal limited-time offerings. The restaurant's convenient locations offer easy online ordering and pick-up, delivery options and catering. Community initiatives include a long-term fundraising partnership with Connecticut Foodshare through "The Great Banana Pudding Drive,” and packaging and goods that are environmentally friendly.
Haven Hot Chicken was featured on Food Network and Guy Fieri's "Best Bite in Town” in 2024 and ultimately named the Best Bite in New Haven, and highlighted in 2023 as one of the "8 Fast-Food Chains that Serve the Best Hot Chicken” around the country by Eat This, Not That!. It was also the winner of The Perfect Pitch concept competition at the 2023 Fast Casual Executive Summit, recognized on The 40/40 List for 2024 of America's Hottest Startup Fast Casuals by QSR and one of the 2024 20 Fast Casual Brands to Watch by FastCasual.com. In 2024, the brand was highlighted on The 2024 Inc. 5000 List, ranking No. 160 overall, No. 7 in food and beverage and No. 1 in Connecticut.
For more information, visit @havenhotchicken on Instagram, Tik Tok, and Facebook or sign up for their newsletter at havenhotchicken.com.
About Bikky
Bikky is a customer data platform exclusively for multi-unit restaurant brands.
With Bikky, brands like Dave's Hot Chicken, Bojangles, and Robeks have a clear understanding of how their marketing, menu, and operations impact guest traffic and frequency. By connecting with your entire tech stack-from POS to loyalty-Bikky delivers insight on up to 90% of your guest base, empowering you to make informed, fast decisions that drive incremental sales.
Bikky is based in New York City and has raised nearly $15 million in funding to date.
Contact:
Abhinav Kapur, Founder & CEO, Bikky
