Accelerating Growth at Big Chicken

Laying the Digital Groundwork for Strategic Scaling

August 12, 2025

Jodi Bernhard

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5 min read

Big Chicken isn’t just growing, it’s scaling with intent. As the brand prepares for expansion, Figure 8 helped lay the digital groundwork to support faster launches, smarter operations, and more consistent performance across every location. The focus of this work was creating a process and playbook for onboarding new franchise stores so all digital channels were live on Day One.

Challenge

Despite rapid growth and a strong brand identity, Big Chicken’s digital operations were struggling to keep pace with growth. The brand faced a mix of structural and mounting operational friction.

   •   Inconsistent and slow franchisee onboarding across digital channels
   •   Menu and platform integration issues impacting guest and operator experience
   • Limited agility due to legacy POS system
   •   Underperforming third-party digital channels

This overall digital disconnect not only slowed down new store launches, but also reduced daily revenue and caused operational headaches for franchisees.

Objective

Big Chicken engaged Figure 8 to lead its digital transformation and drive scalable growth across both corporate and franchise locations through the implementation of a comprehensive digital and delivery strategy. Our goals included:

Overhauling onboarding and activation processes for all digital platforms
Leading the POS migration to Toast across corporate and franchise locations
Optimizing their Toast menu to maximize average order value and improve guest ordering experience across all channels
Building digital platform playbooks for both franchisee and corporate use
Shifting digital operations from reactive troubleshooting to proactive, data-driven strategy

Approach

Figure 8 took a phased approach to stabilize Big Chicken’s digital operations, integrate key systems, and build a foundation for long-term scalability.

Stabilization of digital systems

We embedded with Big Chicken’s team to support digital onboarding of new franchise stores and resolved urgent systems issues.

Proactive channel management

We improved visibility and performance and supported the rollout of new tools.

Performance and Growth

With foundations in place, we enhanced digital menus and launched training to optimize campaigns across channels, transitioning daily troubleshooting to Big Chicken’s partner, Science on Call.

Results & Impact

Figure 8’s partnership helped Big Chicken move from reactive problem-solving to scalable digital performance – improving revenue, operations, and guest experience across the board.

Faster Launch Timelines

Generated $20K+ more in off-premises sales within the first 90 days of a new store opening, by reducing digital channel activation from 30+ days to Day 1.

Refining order process

Lowered menu-related order errors by 31%, reducing friction for guests and staff.

Digital Sales Growth

Increased digital sales share from 16% to nearly 30% of total revenue.

Operational Consistency and Digital Fluency

Franchisees, corporate teams, and SOC can now confidently manage digital tools and processes.

Figure 8’s partnership has helped turn Big Chicken’s operational friction into digital momentum.

What began as a need to stabilize systems has grown into a foundation that supports Big Chicken’s ambitious vision, driving faster activations, smarter operations, and enhanced guest experiences across the board.

As Big Chicken prepares for expansion, its digital infrastructure is no longer catching up, it's leading the way.

With Figure 8 in our corner, we're optimizing our operations to help us scale faster and smarter. Their expertise ensures that we're delivering BIG Smiles for all our guests right from the start... Together, we're building a more adaptable digital strategy that positions Big Chicken for long-term success.

Josh Halpern

Chief Executive Officer at Big Chicken