Texas-style barbecue brand shows solid growth, on pace to surpass 60 new openings in 2025 and expand to more than 400 locations

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, the world’s largest barbecue brand, shows extremely strong growth trajectory during the first three quarters of 2025. From January through August 2025, the iconic Texas-born brand opened 46 new locations across 17 U.S. states and internationally in Canada and the Philippines. With this momentum, Dickey’s is on track to exceed 60 new openings by the end of the year, a milestone that positions the brand well ahead of industry benchmarks and pushes its systemwide store count past 400 restaurants worldwide.

In 2024, Dickey's experienced its slowest year on record. Rising costs, some franchise litigation fueling negative press made for a lackluster year. "We took a serious look at our business and built a two year plan to return Dickey's to its position as a top fast casual restaurant brand. We have seen an enormous sales recovery. Our most important overall goal driving all of our plans is exceptional profitability and financial success of our amazing family of franchisees," said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Sales success has opened the door to store count growth also. New locations span from Alabama to Washington and internationally in Alberta, Ontario and the Philippines. Each opening brings more jobs, more small business ownership opportunities, and more access to Dickey’s famous slow-smoked barbecue.

“Every new opening represents not just growth for Dickey’s, but growth for communities and families,” said Laura Rea Dickey. “Our franchisees are the heart of this brand. Their success, combined with our technology, support systems and authentic barbecue, is what keeps this momentum going. We are building more than restaurants, we are building community connections across the globe.”

“Barbecue has always been about gathering people around good food, and it is exciting to see that resonate everywhere from Texas to the Philippines,” said Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group. “We are proving that legit flavor, paired with strong franchisee support, can thrive in any market.”

If Dickey’s continues at its current pace, the brand is poised to surpass 60 new openings by the end of 2025, one of the strongest expansion streaks in its 84-year history. The true story is not just about openings, despite clickbait headlines and industry trends to the contrary, but about the systems that empower every owner. With powerful digital tools and proven playbooks, the brand is building on a foundation for sustained growth and success.

By combining authentic barbecue with franchisee support, innovation and resilience, Dickey’s is not just growing, it is redefining what expansion looks like in the competitive restaurant industry.

For more information about franchise opportunities with Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, visit www.dickeysfranchise.com.

About Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Founded in 1941 by the Dickey family, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. is the world’s largest barbecue concept and continues as a third-generation family-run business. For more than 80 years, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has served millions with its signature Legit. Texas. Barbecue.™ Slow-smoked over hickory wood-burning pits, Dickey’s barbecued meats are paired with a variety of Southern sides. Committed to authentic barbecue, Dickey’s never takes shortcuts — because real barbecue can’t be rushed.

With more than 866 restaurants across eight concepts in the U.S. and several countries, Dickey’s Barbecue Franchise and Dickey’s Restaurant Brands continue to grow under the leadership of Roland Dickey Jr., CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group, and Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey’s has been recognized on Newsweek’s 2022 "America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains" list, Nation’s Restaurant News 2024 top fast-casual brands for value, and USA Today’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards. The brand has also ranked in the Top 20 of Fast Casual’s “Top 100 Movers and Shakers” for four of the past five years. Additional accolades include Entrepreneur’s Top 500 Franchise and Hospitality Technology’s Industry Heroes list. The brand has been featured by Fox News, Forbes, Franchise Times, The Wall Street Journal, and People Magazine.

For more information, visit www.dickeys.com. For franchise opportunities, visit www.dickeysfranchise.com.

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