Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has retrofitted its original restaurant with a full-service bar, setting a model for the rest of the 500-plus-unit chain.
The bar carries its own identify, Central Bar, and will continue to operate after the restaurant part of the operation shuts down. During that late-night stretch, patrons can still get Dickey’s-branded barbecue, but the options will be limited, according to the chain.
Similarly, lunchtime patrons of the restaurant can get a drink, even though the Central Bar will not open until 5 p.m.
The bar was added to the Dickey’s that opened 78 years ago in Dallas. The restaurant served as a model for the chain’s early stores, and featured the food that the chain would market as a point of distinction. The unit is known as the Central Dickey’s, which inspired the Central Bar name.
A number of the older Dickey’s branches in Dallas feature a cafeteria style of service. The brand has more recently switched to a fast-casual format.
The Central unit isn’t the first in the Dickey’s system to sport a full-service bar, but only a couple currently feature the amenity, according to a spokesperson.
“We plan to open more like this in the future and give existing stores the option to have one as well,” she said.
Dickey’s had been one of the industry’s fastest-growing chains, but went through a contraction in 2018, according to franchising disclosure documents. About 113 locations were closed last year, for a net reduction of 41 stores, the documents indicate.
All but a handful of units are franchised.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.