Brand Champion: Stuart & Wyatt Abbitt

Stuart Abbitt and his brother Wyatt were always interested in getting involved in the restaurant business and both had a deep love of barbecue. When they had the opportunity to open a Dickey’s near Liberty University, the lifeblood of the town of Lynchburg, VA, they jumped on it.

“Between the support of the locals and the students from Liberty University, we are really in the sweet spot,” said Stuart. Formerly in sales for Caterpillar’s Heavy Equipment Division, Stuart loves having the opportunity to serve the members of this small, tight-knit community.

Relying on word-of-mouth not only for in-store sales but for catering business at graduations, weddings and other family affairs is crucial to their business. It’s all about going above and beyond to ensure their guests have the best possible experience – from the quality and consistency of the food to the enthusiastic and friendly customer service. It goes a long way and ultimately results in more business.

The Abbitt brothers know that owning their own business is no easy feat. “When you work a 9 am – 5 pm job, you go home on Friday night and relax for the weekend. That is not the case for us, we eat, sleep and breathe our business. It’s a 24-7 operation but we love it. We also rely on the support of the Dickey’s brand and take advantage of the tools provided to us. We knew this was a unique opportunity – Dickey’s has strong brand recognition and we knew we wanted to get involved at an early stage. We hope to open additional locations throughout Virginia in the near future.”