Hardware Podcasts

Dave’s Hot Chicken: Arman Oganesyan

How I Built This · 10 Jun 2024 · 1h 06m

What this episode covers

Arman Oganesyan, co-founder of Dave’s Hot Chicken, explains how a parking lot pop-up in East Hollywood grew into a 200-unit franchise chain. He details the accidental discovery of their pickle-juice brine, the strategic decision to start with chicken tenders to manage operations, and the pivotal role of Eater LA critic Farley in generating initial hype. Oganesyan also discusses securing franchise partners like Bill Phelps and celebrity investors such as Drake to scale the business while maintaining brand integrity.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies and companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Dave's Hot Chicken, Holland Ray's Hot Chicken, Eater LA, Wetzels Pretzels, Blaze Pizza
Also
The Rock, Kevin Hart, Drake, Samuel L. Jackson, Maria Shriver, Michael Strahan

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 37m

    Founder Feature: Sam Davis-Allonce of Hot N Saucy

    Sam Davis-Allonce, founder of Hot N Saucy, explains how she transitioned from a New York chef to launching a hot sauce brand during the pandemic, driven by pregnancy cravings and a desire for unique flavors. She details the operational shift from home production to using a co-packer for large orders, highlighting the importance of finding a flexible manufacturing partner. Davis-Allonce also discusses her organic growth strategy, leveraging viral moments on Hot Ones and press features like Oprah’s Favorite Things to expand into major retailers like Target and Publix.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringIndustrial & consumer product design
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 50m

    From Hand Sanitizer to Tomato Sauce - How Sauz Went From 10 Doors to 3,500 in a Year

    Troy Bonde, co-founder and CEO of Sauz, explains how he and co-founder Winston used proceeds from a pandemic-era hand sanitizer dispenser business to bootstrap the tomato sauce brand, launching at Erewhon in July 2023. Bonde details how rigorous in-store demo data and unique flavors like hot honey and summer lemon marinara drove rapid expansion from 10 to 3,500 doors, including Whole Foods and Target, within 12 months. He discusses the strategic decision to raise institutional capital from Coefficient Capital to fund growth in a low-margin category, the challenges of fundraising with compelling but early-stage data, and the importance of hiring an ops lead early to manage unit economics and scaling.

    Crowdfunding & preordersPricing, margins & unit economics
    9 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 31m

    Founder Feature: Elan Halpern & Kiki Couchman of Sourmilk

    Elan Halpern and Kiki Couchman, co-founders of Sourmilk, explain how they combined Stanford education and tech/PE backgrounds to create a Greek yogurt cultured with targeted probiotics for gut health. They detail their unconventional 'drug deal' pickup model in New York City, delivering over 5,000 units in brown paper bags to build a loyal community before retail. The founders also recount their rapid rebranding from a cease-and-desist letter to the name 'Sourmilk' in 14 days, and their strategy for scaling production and launching into NYC grocery stores in early 2026.

    Validation & product-market fitDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 30m

    Founder Feature - Fane He and Kyle Nguyen of The Lucky Ox

    Fane He and Kyle Nguyen, co-founders of The Lucky Ox, discuss their journey bootstrapping a Vietnamese-inspired beverage brand from concept to 100 wholesale accounts. They detail the challenges of DTC logistics with glass bottles, including breakage and the need for hand-delivery via subway and Uber, and explain their pivot to 12-packs and a new repacker. The founders emphasize their 'streetwear brand that makes drinks' identity, drawing inspiration from Nike and Kith, and their grassroots door-to-door sales strategy in New York City.

    Direct-to-consumer & e-commerceRetail, wholesale & distribution
    6 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 45m

    #211 - Acquisition Story: How Hector Saldivar Grew Tia Lupita Foods From a Family Recipe to a Successful Acquisition

    Hector Saldivar, founder and CEO of Tia Lupita Foods, details his journey from sharing his mother’s hot sauce recipe in San Francisco to building a premium, better-for-you Mexican-inspired brand and its eventual acquisition by Vilore Foods. He explains how he differentiated Tia Lupita in the crowded hot sauce market through unique bottle design, authentic branding that avoided stereotypes, and a focus on flavor-enhancing ingredients rather than just heat. Saldivar also discusses the realities of raising venture capital, his experience on Shark Tank, and the critical lessons learned about pacing growth and managing retailer relationships before selling the company.

    Crowdfunding & preordersFundraising & investors
    6 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.