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IN THE NEWS

View the full list <a href="https://www.thedailymeal.com/eat/americas-best-barbecue-chains-2018-gallery/slide-9">here</a> .&nbsp;
Dickey's Barbecue Pit #12&nbsp;
Founded in Dallas by Travis Dickey in 1941, Dickey’s today has more than 560 locations nationwide, making it the world’s largest barbecue chain. Each location pit-smokes its meat on the premises, and free kids’ meals are still offered every Sunday. While it’s certainly old-fashioned, that’s the result of an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy. Meats are served by the pound, and include Southern-style pulled pork, hickory-smoked brisket, honey ham, spicy Cheddar and Polish sausages, pork ribs, chicken, and turkey breast. There are no frills at Dickey’s, just solid, honest-to-goodness barbecue.

Daily Meal: America's 25 Best Barbecue Chains

View the full article <a href="https://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/food/47-dishes-to-try-deals-to-look-out-for-and-food-facts-to-know-this-national-day-weekend-1.797440">here</a> .
Meals, deals and dishes to try
1 Frying Pan Adventures’s ­National Day Food and History Crawl will take place in Dubai on December 8, offering guests the opportunity to “hunt out nuggets of Emirati food, culture and society, while walking down memory lane in Deira”. Expect a delicious fusion of history, interaction, exploration, food, and insights. Book at www.fryingpanadventures.com.
2 The newly opened ­Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, a Texan restaurant in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi, will offer its signature barbecue sandwich and refillable Big Yellow Cup (pictured right) for Dh47.
3 Fancy a free coffee or meal? Visit Park House at Nessnass Beach, Dubai, between 9am and noon and enjoy a cup of joe, gratis. Or head to Taqado Mexican Kitchen’s Mercarto Mall location at 5pm, when it will be giving away 1,000 burritos.
4 Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi has a whole host of National Day events and activities planned. On the food side of things, you can try themed cakes and afternoon tea at Le Cafe, new additions to the menu at Emirati restaurant Mezlai, and take in the hotel’s impressive display of dates.
5 Cascade Dining at Yas Mall on Yas Island has three days of fun, child-friendly festivities planned, many of which have a foodie slant, such as interactive cooking classes that will teach little ones to form the UAE flag out of food. Visit www.cascadedining.ae.
6 Origins, the pop-up craft market at The Sustainable City in Dubai, which celebrates ethical, eco-friendly products, will mark National Day with activities celebrating the UAE’s heritage and food, as well as live music and market stalls.
7 Dine at Seven Sands restaurant at The Beach, opposite JBR, today, and you can sample its Emirati Culinary ­Experience menu (dishes include bezar salad with yak cheese, harees, fish fouga and camel milk ice cream), while watching the fireworks from the terrace. It was also serve legemat in the colours of the UAE flag.
8 Should your plans include a trip to The Beach to take in the fireworks (the sky will be lighting up at 8pm tonight), also note that Almaz by Momo is running a set menu for Dh99, or you can go taco-crazy at Poco Loco with unlimited tacos for Dh111, or enjoy hot and cold mezze, a main course, dessert and drink for Dh175 at Awani restaurant.
9 Take a trip to the Sharjah branch of Al Fanar Restaurant, and you’ll spot something rather special: a mural of the UAE flag measuring 4.8 metres by 2.4 metres made entirely of spices.
10 Check out Treej Cafe, a young, funky Emirati cafe with locations in Al Ain, Sharjah and Dubai. Expect Instagram-worthy decor and a mix of international fare and local dishes including an excellent Emirati breakfast spread featuring om balaleet, chebab, regag, keema and Arabic tea.
11 If you’re in Abu Dhabi and fancy sampling Emirati food in a picturesque setting, head to Meylas at Al Raha Beach. There are several interesting dishes on the menu, but for a gentle and delicious start to the day we recommend the mohalla (sweet flatbread served with honey and cheese) and a glass of chai zaatar.
12 Also note that Meylas’s distinctive food truck will be parking up at Zayed Sports City as part of the extensive food offering for today’s National Day celebrations.
13 Home-grown craft chocolate-­maker Mirzam Chocolate will serve a gahwa speciality hot chocolate infused with Emirati coffee and cardamom at its in-house cafe and chocolate factory in Dubai. It has also created a special-edition Emirati Collection Gift Box, featuring a hand-drawn illustration by Emirati artist Saeed Al Madan, and containing an array of chocolate inspired by local flavours – think dark milk chocolate with crispy rgag bread, dark chocolate with halwa brittle and white chocolate aseeda.
14 For dessert at The Beach, there are patriotic options a-plenty: indulge in National Day-­­themed macaroons at Laudree or cupcakes from Leopold’s of London, or opt for legomat at Seven Sands.
15 Gaucho DIFC will serve a 2 for 1 Roast today and tomorrow, with Bife de Chorizo or Bife de Ancho served with Yorkshire pudding, roasted potatoes and all the trimmings.
 
Experts on the diversity of the UAE food scene
16 As one of the region’s longest-standing and most respected food bloggers, Sally Prosser is known for her thought-provoking posts. “My favourite thing about food in the UAE is that with 200 different nationalities making this their home, they all bring their food. From Ethiopian feasts eaten by hand to Filipino boodle fights and everything in-between, it’s a way to connect with different cultures through something that unites us all.”
17 Riath Hamed, founder of Balqees Honey, which specialises in raw Yemeni honey, agrees with Prosser: “Food provides a meeting point for a fusion of cultures – everyone brings a little of themselves to the UAE and contributes to the richness and variety. For example, I describe myself as Yorkshire-Yemeni with a strong heritage from both; in the UAE, I can order perfect Yorkshire pudding at a smart table with gleaming cutlery or I can sit on floor cushions to share traditional mandi, eaten by hand.”
18 Ian Ohan, founder and chief executive of Freedom Pizza, describes the business as “a fiercely proud, made-in-the-UAE company” and says that its success is a testament to the spirit of the region and its people. “Today, we celebrate the UAE’s unwavering drive and ambition, its cultural diversity, leadership and the incredible entrepreneurial spirit that is the backdrop in fostering one of the most ­vibrant, innovative and dynamic food and beverage industries in the world. The UAE food scene has moved from being the recipient of the best and most innovative restaurants in the world, to creator.”
19 “I have a hunch that we’re breaking – and should be celebrating – a world record in food, even though I’ve got no data to support it,” says Arva Ahmed, founder of Frying Pan Adventures with a laugh. “We preserve the highest number of food cultures and ingredients from the old world. Whether you’re looking for Afghan kebabs or Egyptian molokhia, Chinese hot pot or Palestinian musakhan, Georgian khinkali or Indian dosas, you can really eat through the spectrum of foods here. World record or not, that variety is worth celebrating across the meals we enjoy in the UAE every day.”
 
Uniquely UAE dishes and drinks
From ever-so sweet beverages to surprising sandwiches, there are some delightfully unusual items to be found on UAE restaurant menus. How many have you tried?
20 Chips Oman sandwich: can you call yourself a true UAE resident until you’ve devoured a hot-from-the-pan paratha bursting with processed cream cheese, hot sauce and crushed Chips Oman crisps (spicy flavour, of course)? Try it at Abu Dhabi’s Baith Al Baraka
21 More Chips Oman: riffing on the same theme, but moving away from the nostalgic original is the Chips Oman Doughnut at Il Donnaccino in Dubai – deep-fried dough filled and topped with cream cheese, grated cheese, Chips Oman crisps and chill flakes.
22 Gold leaf coffee: ­described as “the epitome of indulgence”, the Palace Cappuccino served at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi comes with a liberal sprinkling of real 24K gold dust. Whether it tastes better than a dusting of cocoa powder is still up for debate, though.
23 Vimto: this is not strictly exclusive to the UAE of course, but the quantity and enthusiasm with which this distinctive sweet drink (which originates from the United Kingdom) is quaffed, is certainly worth noting.
24 All things camel milk: the health benefits and versatility of camel milk have been getting some serious recognition on the international food scene of late. In the UAE, we’re well ahead of the game, consuming all manner of camel-milk dishes and drinks, from lattes and milkshakes to chocolate bars, ice creams, cheeses and more.
25 Legemat of many ­flavours: there are plenty of familiar dishes on the menu at Emirati restaurant Logma (which has locations in The Dubai Mall’s Fashion Avenue and at Boxpark on Al Wasl Road), but it’s the legemat that really gets people talking (and buzzing from the sugar), thanks to toppings such as milk and white chocolate with Oreo crumbs, salted caramel and pecan nuts, and Biscoff spread with Lotus crumbs.
26 Shawarma, more shawarma: the scope for eating shawarma in the UAE is second to none – you can munch the much-loved wrap at hole-in-the-wall joints galore, take your time over a shawarma platter, sample deconstructed versions of the street food in high-end spots or brave shawarma sushi. Whichever way you roll, we say keep the toum (garlic sauce) coming.
27 Butter chicken at Ravi’s: a UAE institution rather than a hidden gem, the fact that the original Ravi’s in Satwa is home to many a UAE resident’s weekend treat, occasional cheat, and farewell meal as they prepare to depart the country, is a testament to the simple brilliance of this spot (and gives an indication of how good its butter chicken is).

The National: 47 dishes to try, deals to look out for and food facts to know this National Day weekend

View the full article <a href="https://www.fastcasual.com/news/dickeys-hires-on-international-sales-leader/">here</a> .&nbsp;
Dickey's Barbecue Pit has hired Jim Perkins as its first vice president of international sales.
 
Perkins has most recently worked with MAM Food Co., a Dubai, United Arab Emirates company as well as Papa Murphy’s, according to a press release.
 
"This year, we opened our first intentional location in Abu Dhabi and made plans to open restaurants throughout Canada," said CEO Laura Rea Dickey in the release. "It is a very exciting time for the Dickey’s brand and we look forward to the success Jim and his team will bring us in continuing our international expansion."

Fast Casual: Dickey's hires on international sales leader

View the full article <a href="https://hospitalitytech.com/dickeys-hires-vice-president-international-sales">here</a> .&nbsp;
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, has hired Jim Perkins as Vice President of International Sales. In his new role at Dickey’s, he will work with the franchise sales team to continue to grow the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit brand internationally.
 
“This year, we opened our first intentional location in Abu Dhabi and made plans to open restaurants throughout Canada,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. “It is a very exciting time for the Dickey’s brand; and we look forward to the success Jim and his team will bring us in continuing our international expansion.”
 
He brings a full career of restaurant operations to the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit family along with more than 10 years of international operations and development experience. Most recently, Jim worked with MAM Food Co., a Dubai, United Arab Emirates food and beverage company, and Papa Murphy’s; assisting both with their international development and partnering with them operationally after opening.

Hospitality Technology: Dickey’s Hires Vice President of International Sales

View the full article here.&nbsp;
Dickey’s maximizes holiday business by offering special meal options and a new delivery service.
Compared with other industries—say, transportation or retail—foodservice may seem immune to the holiday hustle and bustle. Nevertheless, restaurants do feel the sway of the season in myriad ways; chains anchored in malls will almost certainly experience an uptick in traffic, while consumers hosting friends and family will gravitate to concepts that offer catering and delivery services. Some operators will extend their business hours and hire seasonal employees to offset heavy demand and maintain the “fast” in fast food and fast casual.
 
Beyond these logistical considerations, the holidays present a special opportunity for restaurants to reach new customers and strengthen loyalty among existing ones by doubling down on quality and convenience. A seasonal LTO wouldn’t hurt either.
 
BEN KOENIG / Owner and Cofounder, Heritage Eats
 
The holidays are always a frenetic time of year for people, and the same is true for our business. We place a larger emphasis on our catering and events outreach during the holidays because we know that is when people really focus on opening up their homes to friends and family. We love being a part of those memorable events and magic moments.
 
In general, we do not hire seasonal employees. We do make a habit of “sharing” employees, however. We bolster our on-site teams at locations where we need the extra support. It works great for everyone involved: We are able to slot people into a new environment without skipping a beat and keep our team members fully scheduled and paid during a critical time for them, too. The staff members who are shifted into new units temporarily also look at it as a bit of a reward and tend to enjoy the change.
 
I have found that in our segment, the holidays are a time to lean on what gives you a competitive advantage. We play to our strengths of being affordable, fresh, conveniently located, and fast. Capitalize on the fact that everyone is busy. Also, remember that the holidays are a special time of year for your staff, too, so be sure to keep morale high by finding ways to keep it light and fun.
 
CHARLEY SHIN / CEO &amp; Founder, Charleys Philly Steaks
 
We are 80 percent mall-based, so there’s a fair number of new or infrequent users who experience our brand during the holiday season. To keep up with high volume, we hire additional seasonal employees.
 
We begin reminding our stores to start their holiday employment planning in August to ensure that excellent employees are vetted in time to properly train them before the holiday rush. Our food is made fresh to order, and there’s a certain level of skill needed to maintain our quality standards.
 
Planning is vital in all aspects of the business. If you’re talking about holiday promotional activities in October, you’re too late. Operationally, planning equipment checks and calibrations a few months out is important to maximize your sales and ensure you’re serving the highest quality.
 
Our product development and testing program is ongoing, and our planning cycle can be a year or more. We like to feature our signature Phillys, and this year we’re introducing a new promotional item, The Tavern Philly. It’s a classic mushroom Philly with a delicious, creamy horseradish aioli. It takes familiar flavors and puts a twist on them as only Charleys can do.
 
In January, we always review the previous holiday promotion. We not only look at the numbers, but also discuss the qualitative data that can only come from our field team and franchisees.
 
LAURA REA DICKEY / CEO, Dickey’s Barbecue
 
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has been helping guests with their holiday meals for more than 20 years. We were receiving requests for holiday caterings of full turkeys and hams and decided that full holiday meals would be beneficial not only for the brand, but also for all of our guests looking for an easy meal option.
 
Guests look to us for an easy and convenient holiday meal option, and we are happy to provide a variety of delicious proteins and savory sides for them year after year. By meeting guests where they are—whether they are looking for full-service catering or a place to eat while holiday shopping—and providing convenient products and services to ensure each guest has a stress-free holiday season. Dickey’s Delivers is a huge initiative and we are proud that we have implemented this important revenue stream this fall, and it will continue throughout the holiday season.
 
From an operations and training standpoint, we plan all year long for the holidays. The marketing team typically begins planning in the second quarter of every year. Before Thanksgiving and Christmas, everyone in the Dickey’s home office travels to locations system-wide and assists in preparing all of the pre-ordered holiday meals.

QSR: How Restaurants Can Prepare for the Holiday Blitz

View the full segment <a href="https://vimeo.com/301253937">here</a> .&nbsp;

Good Morning Texas: Savor the Season with Dickey's 

View the full article <a href="https://www.fastcasual.com/articles/chipotle-dickeys-applebees-execs-offer-tips-on-ai-strategy-roi/">here</a> .&nbsp;
Artificial intelligence is fast becoming the latest tool in a fast casual's technology strategy but it requires a strong strategy and customer data insight in order to achieve a strong return on investment.
 
Simply, it's not a technology to just grab and plug in, revealed a panel talk at the recent three-day Fast Casual Executive Summit, held at the Hyatt Regency Lake Washington in early October.
 
The panel at the summit, which was run by Fast Casual's parent company, Networld Media Group, was moderated by Steve Bigari, CEO, of Syncq3 Restaurant Solutions, which sponsored the talk. Synq3 is a leading provider focused on order processing and guest relationships for the restaurant industry
 
Why now is the right time for AI
While AI requires a strategy, it's also not a technology that fast casual brands can afford to ignore. And some leading brands are already paving deep AI inroads, such as Pizza Hut and its self-driving cars and drones for delivery, and the burger-flipping robot at Caliburger. KFC is working on AI face recognition application to predict what customers may order.
 
The technology approaches are aimed at making the customer experience and journey happen wherever the customer is and making a purchase and experience easier than ever.
 
"Technology keeps getting smarter," explained Bigari as he kicked off the panel talk, adding "and restaurants are not behind when it comes to AI."
 
In fact, Bigari views AI and voice recognition technology as the "next frontier," given its wide and varied applications — from providing customers with recommendations to back-end operational efficiencies.
 
"It's about an all-out guest experience, always the same, even as much as things change," he noted.
 
One AI strategy in play by fast casual brands is using the Amazon Alexa voice recognition tool.
 
At Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants the tool is being tested with the goal of helping pit masters focus on their role and to streamline operations and help franchise operators keep point on daily business metrics, explained CEO Laura Rea Dickey.
 
Franchise operators can ask Alexa about sales at any point in the day, and pit masters can check with Alexa on rib cooking times.
 
"It's about making it simple, bite-size pieces, to drive user adoption [in the franchise]," said Dickey, who added that a critical aspect to making AI valuable is having a deep swell of data flowing into the organization.
 
The franchise built its own data warehouse platform and customer-reporting tools a few years back when it realized how critical customer and business operations data is to growth and sustainability. It's tapping AI to quell abandoned cars and online orders, not only to find out why a consumer disengaged but to entice the consumer back into the ordering process.
 
 
Dickey was joined on the panel by Scott Gladstone, vice president of strategy and development at Applebee's and Nicole West, vice president of digital strategy and product at Chipotle.
 
Where AI is coming into play with fast casuals
West shared how Chipotle is fast replacing paper tools with digital tools and driving faster and more efficient operations with AI.
 
"The technology automation is not only making business more efficient, but the team also loves it and it's simple to use," she said.
 
"AI's role is a piece of the overall [technology] journey," she added, noting Chipotle took an intentional step back to ensure that it knew where it wanted to be and to use AI to boost its agility.
 
"You can [with AI] pick and choose the right thing you want to explore and then weave it in," she said, adding AI is helping Chipotle drive a more personalized engagement with the customer, beyond the order interaction.
 
Applebee's is laying an AI platform on top of its data lake, with a focus on getting a deep view on guest interactions and attaining as much business operations insight to boost efficiency, shared Gladstone.
 
Improving operations efficiency, explained Bigari, is crucial for fast casuals as the industry is being challenged by a very low unemployment rate, which is making it tougher than ever to hire and retain team members.
 
"There is a need for a model for efficiency, on the prep side, on the ordering side, to take lower-value activities out of team members' hands," he said. Yet, he stressed, it's "not cost reduction, it's efficiency."
 
And that doesn't mean AI is eliminating jobs, Dickey said.
 
"We're adding more job opportunities," she said, noting new roles are needed in other units, such as development and support.
 
Implementing AI, and achieving a strong ROI, said Gladstone, requires having an end state in mind before technology deployment.
 
"There is a tendency to say 'let's do it' and see how the new thing works out. But with AI you need to think of how it plugs into the customer experience and your strategy," he advised.
 
Panel speakers also recommended that brands take an incremental strategy and use AI in small chunks and to not be afraid of slowing down if needed.
 
"Focus on the pain point, then look for a solution," said Gladstone.

Fast Casual: Chipotle, Dickey's, Applebee's execs offer tips on AI strategy, ROI

View the full article <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/reports/delivery-dilemma-rages-restaurants">here</a> .&nbsp;
Dickey’s partners with third-party vendors for delivery but has been testing an in-house platform since 2017.
Rising consumer demand for off-premises dining has forced nearly all quick-service and fast-casual brands to at least consider a foray into delivery. Nowadays, third-party services are no longer fringe experiments, but rather a mainstream piece of the restaurant business. Their popularity has led many brands to jump on board—often with multiple third-party platforms—lured by promises of incremental sales growth and expanded customer bases. Other restaurant brands are working on exclusive deals with such services to better control the delivery experience and keep costs down. And some brands have started to turn away from third parties in favor of building in-house delivery systems of their own.
 
Whatever their approach, operators say they can’t afford to ignore delivery.
 
“It really comes down to the consumer wanting the service,” says Jersey Mike’s president Hoyt Jones. “It’s almost a necessity anymore that in the restaurant business, you’re going to have to adopt the service one way or another.”
 
Jersey Mike’s is among the hundreds of restaurant brands partnering with outside delivery providers.
 
“It’s hard to manage an in-house business, a carry-out business, and then a delivery business,” he says. “We’re going to let the Ubers, the Postmates, and the DoorDashes take care of the driver pool and make sure they’re happy. We’ll make great subs and provide them as quickly as we can.”
 
For the most part, the company is pleased with the various third-party services it’s using. Jersey Mike’s is mostly signing on to the larger outfits, working to leverage its inventory of 1,500 stores with the big players in the space.&nbsp;
 
While some of the changes Jersey Mike’s made to accommodate delivery were minor—for example, it moved away from a foil wrap two years ago to prevent hot subs from growing soggy, and it’s tinkering with tamper-proof seals on its bags—others were more significant. The company is developing a new store prototype, one that could have a dedicated pickup space for carryout customers and third-party drivers while also reshaping one of the lines to better service off-premises orders.
 
 
DOMINO'S
After 58 years, Domino’s is still learning ways to perfect its delivery service.
 
It’s easy to see the appeal of third-party delivery: Restaurants simply sign up and can quickly offer delivery to convenience-minded customers without ever hiring drivers or procuring vehicles. But even as third-party has transformed into a multi-billion-dollar business, many restaurant operators remain frustrated with the high fees charged by those services and struggle to make sense of the tight margins.
 
Little Greek Fresh Grill has hiked its prices on delivery orders to help offset the high fees charged by third-party partners. Two stores have tested in-house delivery services, but most don’t have the volume to support such infrastructure, says company president Nick Vojnovic. So the corporate team is recommending franchisees sign up with third-party delivery providers—albeit reluctantly.
 
“It’s kind of a margin killer,” Vojnovic says. “They’re keeping 32 percent of the money. In the restaurant business, your margins are maybe 15 or 20 percent, so that’s kind of killing it.”
 
Similar dynamics have driven Wayback Burgers to build its own delivery solution. Senior vice president Pat Conlin wouldn’t reveal many details about Wayback’s upcoming program, which the company planned to unveil to franchisees this fall, but he expects the in-house solution will wean the burger chain off third-party vendors.
 
“We’ve been looking at all kinds of alternatives to the third-party guys. I’ve been working for the last four to five months on our own alternative to a delivery solution that we think is going to be pretty significant,” Conlin says. “We think it will be a game-changer for the delivery business.”
 
The 150-unit chain is motivated by better controlling the delivery experience and avoiding the steep fees charged by third-party services, which generally range between 20 and 30 percent, Conlin says.
 
One way to realize savings is by working with only those systems that integrate into a restaurant’s existing POS system, says Justin McCoy, vice president of marketing for Wisconsin-based Cousins Subs. Third-party delivery providers charge a premium for recruiting customers through their sites and apps. But Cousins Subs worked to integrate third-party delivery through the company’s existing website.
 
 
DOORDASH
Wingstop said it would introduce delivery at new stores only after DoorDash shows that it can meet certain thresholds of speed and driver coverage.
 
Aside from securing more favorable pricing, that model avoids another major drawback of third-party delivery: lack of data. Restaurants don’t own any of the customer data if it’s managed through the third-party platform. That can complicate marketing and messaging, and excludes delivery orders from customer loyalty programs.
 
“You have to make a determination if you want to own your data or if you’re not going to own your data,” McCoy says. “You have to look long and hard at the financials in terms of what you’re doing.”
 
McCoy suggests operators who are exploring delivery first do a deep dive on their own POS systems. Finding third-party providers that integrate into the existing restaurant framework also keeps stores from being overtaken by multiple vendor platforms—one for Grubhub, one for Uber Eats, one for DoorDash, etc.
 
 
“There are pictures out there of operators that have registers and five or six tablets from third-party providers,” McCoy says. “I think it starts to pull away from who you are as a brand.”
 
Cousins Subs has integrated delivery into the 100-unit system in several distinct ways. Its primary play is through partnering with a recommended third-party provider that’s integrated into its systems. Meanwhile, a downtown Milwaukee store has introduced a bicycle delivery service, while another store is testing an in-house delivery service complete with Cousins-branded cars.
 
Of course, in-house delivery creates new complications.
 
“One of the things you have the biggest challenges with in today’s labor market is not only finding qualified staff, but they also need a clean driving record and they need a reliable vehicle,” McCoy says. “Those things can be really challenging. ... We do very well at that location, but we have not fully expanded that to other locations yet. It’s something we’ve been contemplating how we want to do it.”
 
While it’s not a franchisor recommendation, Cousins knows franchisees may sign up with third-party delivery providers independently, so executives have met with all of the major players to understand them just in case franchisees decide to partner with them, McCoy says.
 
He expects that most brands will eventually transition to solely third-party delivery or wholly in-house delivery programs. But for now, Cousins, like many operators, is working to figure out how best to play in the ever-competitive delivery business.
 
“It’s very fluid,” he says. “It’s continuing to change and evolve, and it’s something you need to stay on top of.”
 
In its third-quarter town-hall meetings with Dickey’s Barbecue Pit operators, delivery dominated the conversation, says CEO Laura Rea Dickey. The chain jumped aggressively into third-party services about two years ago, seeking the best-in-class provider in each market. Sales shot up, and now about a fifth of the company’s sales come from third-party delivery.
 
But the nation’s largest barbecue chain doesn’t love the fees or lack of control that come with delivery providers. That’s why it began testing in-house delivery in 2017, and it plans to roll out direct delivery to all stores by the fall.
 
Dickey expects the brand to stick with a hybrid model over the short-term. But she’d ideally like to capitalize on the merits of both: leveraging the large audience of the third-party providers while also pointing new customers to the more profitable in-house delivery program.
 
“I would absolutely love to see every owner-operator be able to maintain control of their guests directly,” she says. “I would love to continue to use third-party to extend our reach, but be able to convert the majority of them to our app, our services.”
 
 
MCALISTER'S DELI
About a third of McAlister’s sales are for off-premises eating; about 10 percent is from delivery.
 
She urges those who are hesitant to jump into delivery to redefine how they think about it. For Dickey’s, it’s essentially an evolution of its robust carryout and catering business. “This is a new way to think about catering,” Dickey says. “It’s small catering orders.”
 
But not much about delivery is simple.
 
After 58 years, Domino’s is still learning ways to perfect its delivery service, says Tim McIntyre, the company’s executive vice president of communications and investor relations. He says the success of pizza delivery has set an expectation of reliability and speed for other restaurants that is tough to match.
 
With third-party delivery, restaurants aren’t totally responsible for clearing that high bar. And there’s no need for a huge lineup of drivers and cars. But the proliferation of third parties has made the technology a commoditized product. Conversely, Domino’s owns and designs its own technology and can leverage that as a differentiator. “In order for it to be a competitive advantage, you have to own it,” McIntyre says. “If you use a third party, so can everybody else.”
 
While the industry clamors for the growing pot of convenience-minded delivery customers, McIntyre says it’s important to remember the base of customers still wanting to come in and pick up food for off-premises occasions. Delivery customers will pay a premium for convenience, but carryout customers are more value-driven, he says. They often want to witness their food being prepared and see for themselves how clean a store looks. During football season, Domino’s plans to run separate television ads targeting the carryout and delivery fan bases.
 
“They’re different customers,” McIntyre says. “People are either exclusively delivery or exclusively carryout.”
 
At McAlister’s Deli, more than 200 of the brand’s 430 units partner with outside delivery services. Yet as the share of business going to delivery increases, McAlister’s president Joe Guith says, there is “very much a beating of the drum” from franchisees who want to see costs go down.
 
“We have not found a balance with that right now,” he says. “When it was a smaller piece of business, it was largely incremental, and you felt OK about it. And because it was a smaller percentage of the business, it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
 
About a third of McAlister’s sales are for off-premises eating; about 10 percent is from delivery, Guith says. &nbsp;
 
To adapt, the company has redesigned to-go packaging and repurposed the second line in many kitchens to solely service off-premises orders during peak times. It’s also added to-go pick-up stations in restaurants. As dining behaviors change, Guith says, dining rooms will shrink by 10–15 percent.
 
“I think some players doing delivery today will stop because the fees and economics they’re doing just don’t make sense." — Lance Richards, Wingstop's vice president of guest experience.
 
The growth of third-party delivery has particularly expanded the dinner business for the traditionally lunch-heavy concept. McAlister’s has adjusted employee schedules to accommodate.
 
Even as the company recognizes the importance of delivery, Guith doesn’t expect to make a play at in-house delivery outside of the catering business.
 
“That really requires you to build your whole system around that, from your real estate strategy to your menu to marketing—everything—to really make that work in a way that gets you enough revenue moving across that channel to justify an investment in that infrastructure,” he says. “Outside of pizza and some of these sandwich concepts like Jimmy John’s, I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of people build their own infrastructure.”
 
From early on, Wingstop executives determined it made more sense to partner with a delivery expert rather than try to reinvent the wheel themselves.
 
“It makes sense for us to do what we do best, and that is to make great wings,” says Lance Richards, the brand’s vice president of guest experience.
 
The Dallas-based company met with various third-party operators and tested GrubHub, Uber Eats, and DoorDash in Las Vegas stores. Through that process, Wingstop tracked delivery times, sales figures, customer satisfaction rates, and other metrics. “We look at the entire experience step by step,” Richards says. “If we’re going to introduce a third party, it’s got to be one we trust.”
 
Now Wingstop is partnering exclusively with DoorDash as it expands delivery beyond its initial test stores. Wingstop executives, well aware of the quality control concerns related to third-party operators, believe a close partnership with one provider affords stores greater control over the whole experience. The chicken-wing chain will introduce delivery at new stores only after DoorDash shows that it can meet certain thresholds of speed and driver coverage, he says.
 
There’s no doubt that delivery is growing quickly, Richards says, and customers clearly want more options. But the landscape is rapidly evolving; he expects more shakeup in the world of third-party delivery. And even as Wingstop builds out an exclusive partnership, it’s unclear whether that will be a permanent model for the brand.
 
“I think some players doing delivery today will stop because the fees and economics they’re doing just don’t make sense,” he says. “I think people who aren’t doing third party-delivery today might start because it will start to work for them. ... I don’t even want to speculate what Wingstop will be doing in five years.”

QSR: The Delivery Dilemma Rages On for Restaurants

View the full article <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/dickey-s-barbecue-pit-offering-holidays-feasts-go">here</a> .&nbsp;
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with guests by giving them the gift of spending less time in the kitchen and more time with friends and family this holiday season.
 
“As a third-generation family owned business, we truly value the importance of family and want our guests to the feel that in everything we do,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. and wife of Roland Dickey, Jr., the third-generation Dickey’s owner. “Our Holiday Feast options are crafted with care to ensure our guests have the most delicious and convenient holiday dinner with their loved ones.”
 
Dickey’s offers a variety of holiday menu items for guests from full Feasts to à la carte options. The Holiday Feast includes the guests’ choice of a whole Smoked Turkey, Cajun Fried Turkey, Spiral Cut Ham or Prime Rib along with classic sides such as cornbread dressing, green beans, baked potato casserole and a dozen buttery rolls. The Holiday Feast feeds 10-12 people. For guests looking to have a smaller meal or who would prefer to build their own spread, the Dickey’s holiday menu items are sold à la carte.
 
“My dad, Roland Dickey, Sr., the second-generation Dickey’s owner, began offering holiday meals more than 20 years ago after he received many requests from our loyal guests,” says Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group. “Today, we continue the family tradition of selling these delicious meals and are proud to expand our holiday menu to offer more options for our guests to choose from.”
 
Dickey’s guests can purchase their Holiday Feast or à la carte options at their local Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, online at dickeys.com or through the Dickey’s App. Dickey’s holiday menu items are prepared in-store, and require heating before serving. Guests will receive heating instructions for their meal.

QSR: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Offering Holidays Feasts To-Go

View the full article <a href="https://www.athensreview.com/news/local_news/hurst-to-open-dickey-s-franchise-in-athens/article_0b7a8b2a-e464-11e8-a07c-773e917d64d4.html">here</a> .&nbsp;
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit continues to expand in its home state of Texas with a new location in Athens that will open in a few weeks by franchisee Matt Hurst.
 
“Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has been family-owned and operated since 1941, and we consider each of our owners as a part of our family,” said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants and head of the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit franchise, in a press release. “We are always proud when we have new franchisees join our team, especially when they are opening in our home state.”
 
With more than 20 years in the restaurant industry, Hurst said he looks forward to bringing Dickey’s slow-smoked barbecue to the residents of his hometown of Athens with his parents, Robert and Stacy.
 
“Athens is in need of a barbecue option like Dickey’s that offers guests only the highest quality, slow-smoked meats. My parents and I chose to open a Dickey’s franchise because of their rich history and strong support of their franchisees.”
 
The Dallas-based family-run franchise offers several slow-smoked meats and wholesome sides with “No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. The fast-casual concept has expanded worldwide and includes more than 500 locations in 44 states. In 2016, Dickey's won first place on Fast Casual's "Top 100 Movers and Shakers" list and in 2018 Dickey’s Barbecue Pit made the Top 10. Dickey's Barbecue Pit has also been recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine, Franchise Times and Nation's Restaurant News.

Athens Daily Review: Hurst to open Dickey’s franchise in Athens

View the full article <a href="https://www.franchising.com/news/20181108_savor_this_holiday_season_with_dickeyrsquos_barbec.html">here</a> .&nbsp;
Dallas, TX - Dickey’s Barbecue Pit celebrates the most wonderful time of the year with guests by giving them the gift of spending less time in the kitchen and more time with friends and family this holiday season.
“As a third-generation family owned business, we truly value the importance of family and want our guests to the feel that in everything we do,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. and wife of Roland Dickey, Jr., the third-generation Dickey’s owner. “Our Holiday Feast options are crafted with care to ensure our guests have the most delicious and convenient holiday dinner with their loved ones.”
Dickey’s offers a variety of holiday menu items for guests from full Feasts to à la carte options. The Holiday Feast includes the guests’ choice of a whole Smoked Turkey, Cajun Fried Turkey, Spiral Cut Ham or Prime Rib along with classic sides such as cornbread dressing, green beans, baked potato casserole and a dozen buttery rolls. The Holiday Feast feeds 10-12 people. For guests looking to have a smaller meal or who would prefer to build their own spread, the Dickey’s holiday menu items are sold à la carte.
“My dad, Roland Dickey, Sr., the second-generation Dickey’s owner, began offering holiday meals more than 20 years ago after he received many requests from our loyal guests,” says Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group. “Today, we continue the family tradition of selling these delicious meals and are proud to expand our holiday menu to offer more options for our guests to choose from.”
Dickey’s guests can purchase their Holiday Feast or à la carte options at their local Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, online at dickeys.com or through the Dickey’s App. Dickey’s holiday menu items are prepared in-store, and require heating before serving. Guests will receive heating instructions for their meal.

Franchising.com: Savor this Holiday Season with Dickey’s Barbecue Pit

View the full article <a href="http://rddmag.com/development/1935-dickey’s-barbecue-pit-to-expand-n-y-footprint">here</a> .&nbsp;
New Dickey’s Barbecue Pit franchisee Jerry Stephan plans to bring 21 Dickey’s locations to New York state.
 
&nbsp;Stephan will own and operate two of the locations, with the first slated to open in spring 2019 in Long Island.
 
Stephan brings more than 15 years of franchise experience and more than 40 years of construction experience to the task of expanding the barbecue chain’s footprint in New York.
 
The fast-casual concept has more than 500 locations in 44 states.

Restaurant Development and Design: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit to Expand N.Y. Footprint

View the full article <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/dickey-s-barbecue-pit-bring-21-locations-new-york">here</a> .
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit franchisee Jerry Stephan plans to bring 21 Dickey’s locations to New York. As a new member of the Dickey’s family, Jerry plans to develop the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit presence throughout the state. Jerry will own and operate two of the locations, with his first slated to open in Spring 2019 in Long Island.
 
“At Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, we truly are a family business and we love to see the success of our franchisees,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. “We look forward to our partnership with Jerry as it is very exciting to have him as both a franchisee and as a partner who will help us choose the best Owner Operators and site locations for the new stores coming to New York.”
 
With more than 15 years in the franchising business and more than 40 years in the construction business, Jerry looks forward to combining two of his passions at Dickey’s.
 
“I was looking for a new restaurant concept to bring to Long Island and after doing research on the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit franchise I knew that it was a great fit,” says Jerry. “After being in the industry for a while, I really liked how Dickey’s business model is set up and, of course, I love the slow-smoked barbecue.”

QSR: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit to Bring 21 Locations to New York

View the full article <a href="https://dallasinnovates.com/o-canada-dallas-based-dickeys-barbecue-pit-is-going-global/">here</a> .&nbsp;
Founded 77 years ago in Dallas, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has officially made itself an international name.
 
With nearly 600 stores, Dickey’s Barbecue pit is the “world’s largest barbecue chain,” and they are on a mission to make sure that the world tastes Texas barbecue done right.
 
This week, Dickey’s announced that it would be expanding into 20 locations in various cities across Canada: Edmonton, Alberta, Calgary, Alberta, Regina, Saskatchewan, and Saskatoon. This is the first time the BBQ franchise has migrated onto Canadian soil, with a predicted landing of early 2019.
 
The news follows Dickey’s first international debut made earlier this month at the Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi. The Middle East-based Dickey’s restaurants will be operated by Serenity Hospitality, an Abu Dhabi-based hospitality group in the food and drink sector, which has later plans to operate franchises in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Lebanon. That’s a lot of barbecue.&nbsp;
 
“Consumer confidence continues to increase, and people are willing to let others handle the cooking,” CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group, Roland Dickey, Jr., said in a statement. “The fact that Dickey’s is able to expand at this rate internationally without taking any private equity is a testament to hardworking Dickey’s franchisees, both nationally and internationally, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit commitment to quality, and to our ability to find the right partners.”
 
The international restaurant features an open kitchen, so the designated Pit Masters are able to show customers what flavorful concoctions they’re cooking. Pit Masters are all trained in the same way and still use some family recipes, cooking all of their meats slowly (14 hours for smoked beef, to be exact) at a low temperature overnight at every location.
 
The Abu Dhabi menu has been customized for the overseas location — with new dishes like beef ribs, beef sausages, and smoked lamb — but the chefs were trained in the U.S., so Dickey’s favorites will still be served up. Dickey’s said that three state-of-the-art hickory wood smokers have all been imported from the U.S. to ensure the taste of Texas barbecue was authentic, even in the Middle East. And, Dickey’s won’t be the lone taste of Texas at the three-story Yas Mall, as other Dallas-based chains like Texas de Brazil, Chili’s, and Which Wich have locations there, too.
 
World domination
The chain restaurant was founded and is still owned by the Dickey family, with their original location off Knox/Henderson and North Central Expressway still in commission today. Dickey’s prides itself in being a family run business, and all of their locations have a Texas feel. Each year, the restaurant franchise says it goes through over 10 million pounds of brisket, but with the massive expansion, that number is about to go up even more. In addition to Canada and the Middle East, Dickey’s is expecting to open six new locations this month across the U.S., including Hawaii for the first time.&nbsp;
 
In 2010, Dickey’s had their sights set on conquering the country — but, back then, the company owned seven stores and oversaw 119 franchisees in a total of 22 states. Roland Dickey Sr. and Jr. spoke with D Magazine on their plans to grow across the nation, one store at a time. The countrywide push was prepared carefully and tediously, with significant capital investments made in information technology, marketing, advertising, construction, real estate management, logistics, accounting, and field operations support.
 
“A company is either growing or shrinking,” Dickey Jr. told D. “We’re blazing new trails. No one has ever done what we’re doing.”&nbsp;
 
But initially, there was hesitation about a national presence, with Dickey Sr. asking if Dickey Jr. was “insane” when the idea was proposed. As a large, nationwide chain, the Dickeys wanted to keep their ‘soul,’ so they focused on location and recruiting and supporting the right owner-operators. The goal in 2010? To reach 500 stores.
 
Dickey Jr. had his sights set on one thing: “World domination, one store at a time.”
 
Now, nearly a decade later, the fast-casual concept has done it — garnering around 520 locations, worldwide.

Dallas Innovates: O Canada: Dallas-Based Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is Going Global

View the full story <a href="https://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2018/10/dickeys_barbeque_pit_to_open_o.html">here</a> .&nbsp;
KALAMAZOO, MI -- A restaurant that combines classic barbecue food with a fast and casual atmosphere is set to open in November on Stadium Drive. &nbsp;
 
Joining 13 other locations in Michigan, the Dickey's Barbecue Pit belongs to a nationwide chain that was established in 1941 in Dallas, Texas.&nbsp;
 
The restaurant will open Thursday, Nov. 8, franchisee Krage Fox said.&nbsp;
 
Fox, a Western Michigan University alumnus and graduate of Portage Public Schools, bought the franchise rights a year and half ago, he said.&nbsp;
 
One space has already been leased to Dickey's Barbecue Pit, a Dallas-based restaurant concept.
 
He also has the rights to locations and plans to bring barbecue to Portage, Holland, St. Joseph and on Gull Road on the east side of Kalamazoo, he said.&nbsp;
 
But first, the Stadium Drive restaurant and its 15 employees have last-minute preparations before the grand opening next week.&nbsp;
 
Dickey's barbecue includes all the fixin's like cornbread, beans and coleslaw. The restaurant serves various meats including pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken and turkey.&nbsp;
 
The chain recently opened a location near Muskegon, and those owners plan to open a second Muskegon-area restaurant soon. Most of the other locations in the state can be found in Southeast Michigan, though Dickey's also has restaurants in Coldwater, Rockford and Traverse City.
 
A local entrepreneur is planning to open two Dickey's Barbecue Pit fast-food restaurants this year, with one opening in late May at the former Roosevelt Park Wendy's
 
The combination of a fast-paced casual eatery with southern-inspired barbecue is what brought Fox to the franchise.&nbsp;
 
The location, 10 minutes from downtown and less than 2 miles from Western Michigan University sits on Stadium Drive, a main artery into Kalamazoo.
 
"There's a lot of traffic on this road," Fox said. "It was the right opportunity at the right time."&nbsp;
 
The building at 4212 Stadium Drive has connections to Fox beyond the location of his first restaurant.
 
In 1994, he took his wife on their first date to what used to be Player's Pub, in the exact building where his business will open in November.&nbsp;
 
The space once occupied by both Player's Pub and an Italian bistro called Chianti was re-opened in 2000 as Gallagher's, an Irish-themed restaurant and sports bar. Another round of redevelopment, announced in 2017, aimed to transform the Gallagher's property into a newly renovated plaza called The Shops at Stadium Village.
 
"They could expect to see the first changes on the Gallagher's building sometime in November," said investment partner Dan Burkett.
 
Dickey's Barbecue Pit will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except holidays, Fox said.&nbsp;
 
The set-up is "fast paced, high energy and really fun," he said. Much like a Qdoba Mexican Eats, patrons will order their food at a counter before taking a seat in the restaurant.&nbsp;
 
"Getting food and getting home," he said.
 
The new restaurant will place a heavy focus on catering large meals, Fox said. He said the brand has a "youthful spirit" that he said people should expect to grow.&nbsp;
 
"Dickey's is barbecue for the masses," Fox said.&nbsp;
 
The restaurant is family-friendly and the "meat speaks for itself," he said.&nbsp;
 
Prior to opening his first franchise, Fox was selling commercial vehicles in Plainwell. He worked for nearly two decades in the pharmaceutical field before that, he said.
 
Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Portage is scheduled to open next fall and expansions to Holland and St. Joseph are planned for 2020 and 2021 respectively.&nbsp;

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