The hot chicken chain gave users a simple, tasty reason to download its app.
Photo: Getty Images
Listen to this ArticleMore info
0:00 / 0:00
The most popular app in the country earlier this week wasn’t a chatbot or an AI assistant. It was a hot chicken chain’s app.
Dave’s Hot Chicken unseated Meta’s Muse as the No. 1 free app on the U.S. iOS App Store on Tuesday, according to social media reports, ending a streak that began when the AI personal assistant app launched in early September.
It all started with an annual giveaway Dave’s Hot Chicken now calls Dave’s Day. Every year since 2023, the Pasadena, California-based company has handed out free sliders during one day in October.
This year, it required guests to download the Dave’s Hot Chicken app in order to receive their free slider by redeeming the offer in store with no purchase necessary.
Refreshed leadership advice from CEO Stephanie Mehta
A spokesperson for the company told Inc. over email that roughly 500,000 people signed up for Dave’s Day 2026, about 15 times the chain’s normal app sign-up volume. Turnout for the giveaway was in line with previous years.
“Dave’s hot chicken is much more delicious than AI,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “That’s just a fact.”
Dave’s Hot Chicken’s brief dethroning of Muse is notable given how much Meta has riding on AI. The social media giant has been investing heavily in AI, with capital spending expected to reach anywhere from $115 billion to $135 billion this year, as it seeks to create new revenue sources beyond its traditional advertising business.