Dickey’s Barbecue Fired Up For National Expansion

Quick DFW:

Ever bored at a party? Spice up the conversation with this incendiary device: “(My hometown) has the best barbecue in the country.”

Few foods inspire as much partisan squabbling.

Whether it’s brisket in Texas, pulled pork in the Southeast or beef ribs in Chicago, there are about as many variations of meat + smoke + sauce as there are opinions about which version reigns supreme.

Into this skirmish steps a seasoned Dallas restaurant operator.

Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc. plans to “take barbecue mainstream” in a risky bid to become a national chain.

Dickey’s, which opened Oct. 1, 1941, but only began franchising in 1994, has more than 85 locations in 13 states. It’s already the third-biggest barbecue chain in the U.S., according to Keith Gellman, publisher of Restaurantchains.net, an Irvington, N.Y., research firm that tracks chain growth.

And the company’s planning a growth spurt that Roland Dickey Jr., president and grandson of founder Travis Dickey, calls “exponential.”

Dickey’s plans to end 2008 with 115 restaurants in 21 states – 95 percent of them owned by franchisees, Mr. Dickey said.