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."

Find your local Dickey's Barbecue Pit here. Learn more about Dickey's franchising opportunities here.

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About Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the nation's largest barbecue chain was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey. For the past 77 years, Dickey's Barbecue Pit locations across the nation have served guests Legit. Texas. Barbecue.™ At Dickey's, all meats are smoked low and slow on-site, every night in every location. The Dallas-based family-run barbecue 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. For more information, visit www.dickeys.com.