Dave's Hot Chicken CEO Shares the No. 1 Red Flag He Sees in Employees—It Can Be a Fireable Offense

A high school dropout ‘manifested’ Dave’s Hot Chicken. The chain’s CEO says ‘grit’ and ‘luck’ took it from $900 small business to a $1 billion empire

Eight years after four friends started cooking under a tent in Los Angeles, the chain now boasts more than 300 locations.

Dave's Hot Chicken CEO shares the No. 1 red flag he sees in employees—it can be a fireable offense

Bill Phelps, the 69-year-old CEO of Dave's Hot Chicken, says the biggest red flag he looks out for when running his business is "toxic" people.

Roark Capital Acquires Majority Stake in Dave’s Hot Chicken

Leadership Team Will Stay on as Franchise Expands Globally In a story unfolding since 2017, Dave’s Hot Chicken exploded from its $900 launch into a 10-figure enterprise. Roark Capital Group had been monitoring the brand since about 2021, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported that Dave’s executives joked they had a private-equity stalker. Earlier this month, Roark took majority ownership of the spicy fried chicken brand in a deal R…