Performance Matters
To support its rapid expansion, the brand is rolling out Qu and QSR Automations, respectively. Its previous POS struggled with keeping pace. “The more stores we added, the slower that connection got,” Davoyan said.
“We couldn’t get a flash sale report until 8 am Pacific time, and that was something we wanted before 6 am, so that the early birds could look at yesterday’s sales. We couldn’t do it because the data was trickling in so slow that we couldn’t publish it,” he explained.
Dave’s realized the need to shift gears and to partner with a POS provider that could easily scale to 1,000 locations and deliver reliable data.
“The POS is the nucleus of your store technology, because everything either connects into the POS or flows out of the POS,” he said.
Qu’s unified commerce platform has real-time data management, offline resiliency with edge computing and an easy to connect API.
QSR Automations’ ConnectSmart Kitchen® helps the team work more efficiently, and the solution can easily be customized. For example, Dave’s can highlight deviations from the default order. “The team sees that there’s something highlighted on the screen and can pay attention to that,” which has helped improve order accuracy, Davoyan added.
QSR Automation’s Order Ready Board reduces interruptions for expo staff by providing real-time order status updates to delivery drivers and guests, improving efficiency and employee satisfaction.
To date, about 10% of Dave’s locations have the Qu unified commerce platform and QSR Automations solutions. It has begun retrofitting existing locations. “We are moving very quickly; our goal is to have 100% of our stores retrofitted within two years,” Davoyan said.
Dave’s also uses the Bikky customer data platform (CDP) to anonymously track guest behavior and identifies trends through credit card token data. For instance, when Dave’s launched its cauliflower product, data revealed that many new customers returned to try the chicken.
“Our core audience loves the brand and creates content for us,” Davoyan said, highlighting Dave’s vibrant social media presence. By combining guest insights with user-generated content, the chain continues to deepen customer engagement and loyalty.
