NYT article on Dickey's franchisees who "struggle". Sorry, it's likely behind a paywall.
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Do your homework, do your homework. Do not invest in an industry that you know absolutely nothing about. Just like financial investments, if you don't understand totally what you are getting into, walk. I'm glad I did, but many of my friends went in hook and sinker and lost it all on a foreign currency exchange thing head quartered in the Caribbean. What was the first clue?Comment
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Sounds to me like Dickey’s was just awarding franchises to anyone who would write a check and did nothing to support their franchisees. Forcing them to use vendors 2-3 times the price of other vendors?! Sounds like the Dickey family was getting kickbacks if ya ask me. And some fault has to go to the people who went under, did they even do their homework before buying a franchise? I would have gone to work in a Dickey’s for at least 6 months before making a decision. You can learn a lot about a corporation and what is required to operate profitably in that amount of time. Ask the owner questions. Sorry to see so many people lose their life savings.Comment
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As for as the vendors, look up McDonald's Ice Cream machines and who foots the bills for "repair." -
This company sounds rotten and dirty to the core but like Jerod Broussard said, it is not unusual for franchises to require use of certain vendors - it is part of the way they "guarantee" consistency; but is easily abused. There are lots of "legal" ways for the company/family to make money off the franchisees via bogus fees, company owned or related party vendors, etc. Hopefully this article results in some investigation but wouldn't hold my breath
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That story is a highly cautionary tale. I had a friend who was burned - BAD - by buying a Quizno's franchise 15 years or so ago. It lost money every month of the 2 years he owned it, and he was borrowing money against his father's farm to keep it afloat, after maxing out a 2nd mortgage on his own home. Quizno's exploded, was everywhere, and now there are barely any of them left. I think it had a lot of the same problems as Dickey's.
I think if I ever wanted to parley my BBQ hobby into a business, I would go no further than a food truck type business. I've seen many highly successful food trucks around here over the last 20 years that moved into a fixed location, and then went under within a year or two, or back to the truck after they couldn't make the fixed location work. You don't have rent/lease on the truck like you do in a retail space.Comment
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IMHO if you want to sell BBQ then sell good BBQ. I’ve never been to a Dickey’s that served really good BBQ.Comment
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Looks like there are a whopping (2) locations in NC. I remember there was one in Greensboro and probably more in the state. I've never eaten there because privately owned BBQ joints in NC are the shiznit, no need to eat franchise BBQ. I do remember people telling me they were overpriced and the food was not really anything to get excited about. If there was one franchise I'd stay away from investing in it would be one that sells BBQ. Now Chick-fil-A and McDonald's are entirely different.
Those sure are some sad stories.Comment
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Never knew, until reading the article that there was a Dicky's in Ohio? We have City BBQ around these parts. It's "ok". Gotten a bit pricey over the last couple years, but I sometimes get a few bones on their "Rib Tuesdays" special. I like my ribs better. The sausage is good, brisket, decent, but their chicken thighs and sauces are nothing much to write home about. I always thought they'd do better to stick with pulled chicken and skip the bone-in stuff.
Brick and Mortar seems like a lot of work. My father-in-law used to own a couple of donut shops around Columbus, and a few times while I was dating his daughter, we'd get up at 2am and help him out with prep for the morning. He seemed to have the energy for it, but even back then, in my late teens and early 20's, it was exhausting.
I agree with jfmorris I see quite a few BBQ food trucks, some operating in fixed locations, and they always seem busy. Low overhead I'm sure, is the key.Comment
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We had one just north of I-275 on Mason Montgomery Road, a block north of Fields Ertle.
Awesome location. Prolly lasted a year. I ate there a cpl times, not impressed.
There is a City BBq cpl miles south on I-71, same distance off the freeway. Been there many many years. Much less population and drive by than the Dickey's had. Always busy, Dickey's was never busy.Last edited by Alan Brice; June 5, 2025, 07:52 AM.
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Bad deal for sure. If it seems "to good to be true" it likely is particularly with business. I will also say with regards to BBQ and BBQ only that I have yet to go to a "chain store" for BBQ that I found even moderately decent to eat. I may be biased, however, I'm confident that I do a much better job BBQing than any "chain type" restaurant.Comment
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Dickey's might be a disreputable outfit, and my personal opinion of their food quality based on the one time I ate at one is negative, but that article is also likely a bit of a hit piece. There are always at least two sides to every story. I won't go fully into my feelings on this sort of thing because it's extremely complicated to analyze why each business fails. But I will post up what I know about it from actually having built businesses.
There's a long history of businesses, particularly small business, of failure. The numbers work out to roughly 75% chance of any business failing. Every person who fails is a human being who most often does the human being thing.................blame someone or something else. Most of them go in not understanding that the business of running the business is at least as important a being able to be good at whatever the sign says the business does. More often it's more important. You can be a fantastic plumber, but if you fail to figure out the business side of the operation you'll likely fail. Most people choose not to understand what I just said there. They let their optimism get the best of them. They are their own worst enemy.................which is likely part of what wasn't said overtly in that article. Successfully running a small business is never easy, even franchises that may be thought of as easier, or even presented by the company backing it, are hard.
My bride spent a good part of her career in commercial banking and historically one of the highest risk loans that can be made is for restaurants/food service. The barriers to entry are low, there is a well developed marketplace that is willing to support equipment and food stuffs through leasing, and facilities are readily available. The failure rate for restaurants is probably closer to 90% over time due to those factors.
The bottom line is that each failure occurs by both external and internal factors. An accomplished business owner becomes accomplished by being able to figure out how to deal with the external factors, no matter who/what they are. The internal factors are human elements; pride, stubbornness, ignorance (willful or otherwise), lack of preparation, and hubris. Far too often the failed/failing business person is their own worst enemy.Comment
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Even with all the issues factored in, how could it possibly fail? It’s Texas Bbq!!
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I would love to have my very own Burger King in this town. Ya think the King would allow some brisket burgers??? NOPE!
9.5% of gross sales go to the Big Man and Advertising.
May just prop up a brisket stand next to my mailbox.
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