When you study leadership, a clear pattern shows up. The best leaders aren’t made in boardrooms; they’re shaped by challenges. In this episode of Delivered: The Journey of Packaging, Zachary Stein, Co-Founder and CEO, and Bradley Saveth, Co-Founder and President & COO of SupplyCaddy, sit down with Jim Bitticks, newly promoted CEO of Dave’s Hot Chicken, to discuss his childhood, early fast-food jobs, and the decisions that shaped his leadership of one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands in the U.S. What stands out is not just his resume but his mindset.
If you run restaurants, build teams, or want to grow a food brand like Dave’s Hot Chicken, Jim’s story offers more than inspiration. It’s a practical guide you can learn from.
How Did Jim Bittick’s Journey from the Ground Up Shape His Leadership at Dave’s Hot Chicken?
Jim didn’t learn to lead from books or ideas. He learned from experience that his childhood, early jobs, long shifts, and mentors shaped how he now runs Dave’s Hot Chicken. Every part of his story influences the way he leads today.
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He leads with empathy because he lived the “no extras” reality
Leadership at scale can easily become detached. But Jim’s background keeps him grounded.
He grew up in a stable home with a hardworking single mother who went back to school and eventually earned her PhD. They were not homeless. They were not reckless. But they did not have extras.
As Jim stated:
“We didn’t have anything extra; we just had what we… had to have, what we needed… what led us to survive.”
That line explains his worldview.
He understood the difference between needs and wants at a young age. He also understood that if he wanted something beyond survival, he would have to earn it.
He further highlighted:
“My mom never asked for any money… She was a very responsible parent who took care of all the bills.”
There was dignity in that household. Responsibility. Structure.
But he also made it clear:
“But when I wanted to buy… a fresh pair of shoes… we didn’t have that.”
This is important.
He was not working to support rent. He was working for an opportunity. For the agency. For ownership.
That is why he walked into a restaurant before he was legally old enough to work.
He recalled:
“That was never us, but there was also never any, like, extra stuff… So on my way home from ninth grade one day, I walked by the Jack in the Box restaurant, and they have a ‘Now Hiring’ sign… and they said, ‘You have to be 16.’ And so when I filled out the application, I changed my birth year… and I got hired.”
That moment reveals drive. But more importantly, it built empathy.
When you lead Dave’s Hot Chicken, and you have personally needed that job, you understand what the opportunity means to others. You know some employees are there because they need flexible hours. Some are there to buy shoes. Some are there to help their families. Some are there because the restaurant industry gave them a shot when others would not.
That lived reality shapes how you structure schedules, evaluate performance, and build compensation systems.
Empathy, in his case, is not abstract. It is operational.
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“Show up + work” as the operating system → he respects the front line because he was the front line
Jim’s second leadership pillar is simple. Show up. Work hard.
As he explained:
“Restaurants are the type of a job where you don't need anything but a willingness to work and an ability to show up.”
That is the entry ticket.
He elaborated that restaurants operate long hours and can accommodate different life situations. He acknowledged that for many people, especially those who may not fit neatly into corporate structures, restaurants offer opportunities.
He emphasized that the industry gave him a chance:
“…the restaurant industry would have me. They didn’t check my ID… And they gave me lots of hours.”
That experience shapes how he sees frontline workers at Dave’s Hot Chicken today.
He was not a distant executive observing operations from reports. He was the one who closed and opened the store. Pulling doubles.
He shared:
“…I was… doing full closing shifts or opening shifts or double shifts or whatever, and… I was hooked.”
Hooked is the keyword.
He did not just work shifts. He fell in love with the rhythm of operations.
And when managers called, he showed up.
“…pretty much every time they called and said, ‘Hey, you wanna come in and work,’… I put myself in a position to go do the job.”
This is critical.
He did not wait to be scheduled perfectly. He adjusted his life around opportunity. That mentality built trust. It built a reputation. It built momentum.
When he now talks about respecting the front line at Dave’s Hot Chicken, it is credible. He understands the physical exhaustion of a closing shift. He understands what it means when someone calls out, and you need coverage. He understands the stress of a busy service.
He also acknowledges the contribution of those who rarely get spotlighted:
“…including the underlings, the people that… did all the work.”
That perspective influences culture. It prevents leadership from becoming disconnected. It reinforces that scale must not come at the expense of respect for operators.
If you are building or managing a growing restaurant brand like Dave’s Hot Chicken, this is a powerful reminder. Operational excellence starts with honoring the people who execute daily.
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Bias for action “say yes” → he built confidence, competence, and momentum by leaning into hard reps
One of the most defining patterns in Jim’s story is this: he said yes.
Repeatedly.
Early in his career, during just his first weeks on the job, he experienced a defining moment.
He recalled:
“I had worked the full eight or nine-hour shift… I left, it was like 7:00 or 8:00 o'clock at night, and then the guy that was supposed to show up at 10:00 to do the graveyard shift didn't show up, and they called me, and they said, ‘Any chance you can come back and work again?’”
Most people would say no.
But as Jim shared:
“…they called me… ‘Any chance you can come back and work again?’… and I was like… ‘Yeah, I’ll come back.’”
Then came the ask:
“‘We need you to work till 6:00.’… So I worked till 6:00 a.m.”
That is a 20-plus-hour stretch. Early in his career.
Why did he do it?
He answers plainly:
“I said yes every time. I said yes every time.”
That repetition matters.
Saying yes builds skill. It built resilience. It built visibility. It built trust with leadership. It built confidence.
He even applies that philosophy today.
“…every time [my CEO] invites me to go somewhere… I always go, ‘Sure, I’ll go. I’ll do it.’”
This bias for action carries into how Dave’s Hot Chicken has scaled so aggressively in recent years. Growth requires decisiveness. It requires leaders willing to lean into new markets, partnerships, and operational challenges.
Jim also tied this to his childhood:
“It’s like, I didn’t have all these experiences as a kid…”
So he chooses experience now. He leans into exposure. He does not avoid opportunity.
For leaders, this is a practical lesson. Competence is built through reps. Hard reps. Long shifts. Uncomfortable promotions. Stretch assignments.
You cannot shortcut that.
At Dave’s Hot Chicken, that bias for action fuels expansion while staying grounded in operational reality.
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Loyalty to builders “lifers” → he keeps the team together and protects the culture during scale
Rapid growth often fractures teams. Loyalty gets tested. Culture gets diluted.
Jim fights that.
He stated clearly:
“I believe you always dance with the one that brought you, and… that’s true of my whole team.”
That phrase captures his leadership philosophy. He does not discard builders once growth arrives.
He reinforced this commitment:
“That’s why Edgar’s still here. That’s why Carolyn’s still here with me. That’s why Juan’s here with me.”
And he described them simply:
“They’re lifers…”
These are not transactional relationships. They are long-term partnerships.
He explained further:
“My right-hand guy, Juan Lopez, has been my right-hand guy for 12 years, 13 years. My other right-hand guy, Edgar Villa, and I have been working together since 2001.”
He even joked:
“He and I have been together longer than he and his last four wives… combined.”
Humor aside, this signals stability.
When you scale a brand like Dave’s Hot Chicken across multiple markets, franchise partnerships, and private equity involvement, continuity matters. Teams that have built together move faster. They trust faster. They solve faster.
He emphasized:
“…we’ve been so focused on keeping the management team together.”
That focus protects culture. It ensures that as revenue climbs and store counts grow, the core values remain intact.
For any restaurant executive, this is a key takeaway. Growth should not mean cultural amnesia. Protect your builders.
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“Share the win” leadership → generosity became his north star
The final layer of his leadership philosophy centers on generosity.
He described a pivotal moment during a major deal:
“Bill said, ‘Okay, we’re ready to sign the deal, but we’re not gonna sign the deal unless you guys set aside an astronomical number’… ‘it’s close to $100 million’… ‘to bonus the entire team.’”
Pause there.
That decision reframed capitalism for him.
He explained that this only happened:
“…only because of his leadership. His and Armand’s leadership pushed that through…”
And why?
“…ensuring that his team, that took a… ‘$900 business and made a billion-dollar business,’ that his team was rewarded for it.”
That moment became a defining lesson.
As Jim reflected:
“…a, like, premier lesson in leadership and generosity… that… will color how I do stuff going forward forever…”
He also pointed to Bill’s personal mission:
“Bill’s personal mission statement is… ‘he wants to transform people’s lives’…”
That philosophy impacted him deeply.
He shared:
“I’ve never been so well-treated at any job I’ve ever had in my entire life as I’ve been treated here. And it’s not just the treatment of me personally, it’s the treatment of the team that came with me.”
And finally:
“That… makes the whole capitalism thing and the… ‘gigantic billion-dollar number’ something that you can be proud of…”
This is the shift in leadership thinking. It’s not just about chasing growth at any cost. It’s about growth that benefits everyone involved, creating value for the people who help make it happen.
At Dave’s Hot Chicken, this approach means more than just hitting numbers. It means rewarding the people who put in the work every day. Recognizing the contributions of operators and team members, aligning incentives so effort directly connects to rewards, and creating clear pathways for ownership and career growth. This approach turns employees into invested partners rather than just staff.
When leadership actively shares the win, the effects ripple through the organization. Loyalty grows because people feel valued. Performance improves because everyone understands the stakes and sees tangible benefits. Culture deepens as trust and mutual respect become the foundation of daily operations. When your team knows they’re part of the journey, not just passengers along for the ride, they show up with energy, dedication, and a sense of purpose that drives lasting success.
In Need of an Innovative Food Packaging Solution for Your Restaurant?
If you operate a fast-growing restaurant brand like Dave’s Hot Chicken, packaging matters more than you think. It affects brand perception. It affects food quality. It affects repeat business.
At SupplyCaddy, we offer free brand design packaging for your restaurant. We have partnered with brands like Cinnabon, Burger King, Delta Air Lines, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Popeyes, Bodega, Tijuana Flats, and more!
SupplyCaddy is a global leader in high-quality, cost-effective packaging and disposables for the food service industry. With headquarters in Miami and manufacturing facilities across North America and Europe, we provide both custom and generic packaging solutions that protect your food and elevate your brand.
If you want packaging that matches the operational intensity of a brand like Dave’s Hot Chicken, contact us at hello@supplycaddy.com.