The US franchise sector strengthened its connection to veterans’ causes in early July 2026 as the franchise brand Dave’s Hot Chicken and its multi-unit franchise operator CW Strong Restaurants launched a two-week customer round-up campaign across 18 locations in California, Texas, Nevada, and Oklahoma. All proceeds benefited USA Cares, a national nonprofit providing financial relief to post-9/11 veterans and their families.
The campaign ran from June 30 through July 13. At participating restaurants, customers could round up the cost of their order to the nearest dollar at checkout, with the difference donated directly to USA Cares. A QR code displayed in each restaurant also directed customers to an online donation portal for those wishing to contribute beyond the round-up.
The initiative highlights how the franchise concept can mobilize local operators for charitable causes. CW Strong Restaurants is a multi-unit franchisee operating Dave’s Hot Chicken restaurants across four states, with locations concentrated in markets that include large active-duty military and veteran populations.
A Franchisee Group Activates Its Restaurant Network for a Cause
The initiative was organized at the franchisee level rather than the corporate brand level, illustrating a model in which individual operators run charitable programs independently through their locations. Brian Cassidy, CEO of CW Strong Restaurants, described the partnership in terms of direct community impact. “USA CARES provides life-saving financial assistance that helps create stability for at-risk veterans and their families,” said Cassidy. “This support lays the foundation for a secure home and helps veterans navigate and recover from crisis situations.” The round-up format, in which the customer opts in at the point of sale without making a separate gift, has become one of the most common mechanisms used by food and beverage operators to generate charitable donations at scale, requiring minimal friction from the consumer.
Dave’s Hot Chicken: A Franchise Brand With National Momentum
The campaign unfolded against a backdrop of sustained growth for Dave’s Hot Chicken as a franchise concept. Franchise Times ranked the chain No. 2 on its 2026 “Fast and Serious” list, a ranking that tracks emerging franchise brands by growth velocity and unit economics. The brand was acquired by Roark Capital in a transaction valued at over $1 billion, and has since accelerated franchise recruitment and multi-unit development across the country. CW Strong Restaurants represents the multi-unit operator segment that now drives much of the chain’s expansion, with a single franchisee group managing a significant cluster of locations across geographically dispersed markets. Veterans-focused campaigns at the franchisee level have become increasingly visible in the food service sector, particularly among brands with strong footprints in Texas and Oklahoma.
USA Cares and the Round-Up Model in Food Service
USA Cares is a Louisville, Kentucky-based nonprofit founded to serve post-9/11 veterans, active-duty military personnel, and their families facing financial crisis. Its programs address housing instability, medical expenses, and other urgent needs, and the organization provides grants rather than loans, meaning recipients are not required to repay the assistance. The round-up model used in this campaign allows businesses to generate charitable funds without requiring large individual donations or separate transactions. The Dave’s Hot Chicken initiative concluded on July 13; neither CW Strong Restaurants nor USA Cares has announced whether a follow-up campaign is planned for later in 2026.
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