Bikky, a customer data platform built exclusively for multiunit restaurants, is partnering with Haven Hot Chicken, a rapidly expanding Nashville-style hot chicken concept.

Founded in 2020 by four local restaurateurs, Haven Hot Chicken 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, usability 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 Haven 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,” said Jason Sobocinski, Haven Hot Chicken 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,” said Sobocinski. “That single insight solidified Bikky’s value for the whole team.”

Haven is also taking advantage of Bikky’s 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 Haven 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,” said 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 restaurateurs 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 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," said Sobocinski.

“It's an honor to partner with Haven Hot Chicken, one of America’s hottest fast casual brands,” said 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.”

Source: Bikky Inc.