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Shinder Singh has a long history as a business owner, having owned gas stations, hotels and restaurants. He’s also currently a Firehouse Subs franchisee.. He chose to invest in a Dickey’s franchise
 because of the uniqueness of the concept and high quality of food.


 In the beautiful desert community of Palm Springs, California, there is no other Fast Casual barbecue option, so the community flocks to Shinder’s store to get their fill of authentic, Texas-style
 barbecue. Since it is a fairly small community, Shinder has many loyal guests who have become friends and Shinder’s store has become a great local hangout.


 “I partnered with Dickey’s because of the ongoing support that is provided from the home office,” Shinder says. “Community marketing enables me to increase my catering percentage and connect with
 the community. My store has also benefitted from Mr. Dickey’s visit and cooking segment on our local NBC station.”


 Shinder is proud of his team of Pit Bosses, Pit Masters and Pit Crew, and gives credit to his team-spirited and enthusiastic team for the store’s success.

Real Talk with Real Owners - Shinder Singh of Palm Springs, CA

In the Puget Sound area of Washington State, Dr. Thomas Driver is well known. Having spent 27 years as a Navy commander running military hospitals, he is commonly called “Doc” by friends and
 family. After retiring from the military he knew he wanted to be a franchise owner, which led him to Dickey’s.


 Thomas had always loved barbecue, but didn’t have many options available in his area. Dickey’s was a perfect opportunity because of the quality, slow-smoked flavor and its rapid growth nationwide.
 Now a three-store owner, Thomas has a new nickname: “Doctor Barbecue”. Using his contacts from the military, churches and local clubs such as Rotary, he has become a pillar of the community that
 people love and trust. There are two naval bases in the area, and Thomas offers a military discount. He also has a banquet room in his store in Port Orchard, where he regularly hosts church groups,
 families and local sports teams.


 “What I love best about the business is the ribs,” Thomas says. “But after that, I love all the support I get as a franchisee. I have made great relationships with the people in marketing and
 training. They are always willing to help me out in any way. My marketing manager even came to visit me not too long ago to see how I was doing. That just exemplifies how Dickey’s is all about
 great service.”


 The doctor is in, and he prescribes more barbecue!

Real Talk with Dr. Thomas Driver: Owner in WA’s Port Orchard, Poulsbo

Marc Cohen started his career as a chef in restaurants, hotels and even catering for NASCAR races. He worked in high-end venues in Las Vegas and fed people on racetracks all over the country. His
 first taste of barbecue came from third party vendors on the track, and he was hooked. He loved all the different flavor combinations available to make a truly special and unique barbecue, while
 staying authentic.


 He first learned of Dickey’s through his cousin, now business partner. Having lived in the San Antonio area for 40 years, he knew all about great Texas-style barbecue. The two went into business
 together and spent time researching different concepts. “We chose Dickey’s because it was well situated for growth, and we saw that there was a clear strategy in place,” Marc says.


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Now, as an Owner/Operator, Marc attributes his success to the community marketing tools that Dickey’s offers all its franchisees. His favorite community marketing activity is dropping off family
packs at local businesses. “I will spend the cost of one family pack to get two new customers every time,” he says. “It shows we are going the extra mile.” He knows that the business doesn’t survive
without loyal customers, so he focuses on consistency and quality of all his products. That’s what makes Marc this week’s Brand Champion!

Real Talk with Real Owners: Marc Cohen of San Antonio, TX

A former accounting manager at a hedge fund, Carline Jefferson owns one of only four Dickey’s locations in New York State located on Long Island. When she got laid off from her corporate job, she
 decided she wanted something new and began looking at franchise concepts.


 Carline’s brother Lewis had been in foodservice management for 25 years, so the siblings paired up to form a business partnership and decided to open a restaurant. They knew they wanted to bring
 something completely different to their area of Long Island, and wanted to invest in quality food that they personally enjoyed. They knew they did not want to invest in a sandwich or fast food
 brand, and barbecue made sense as Carline’s favorite food.


 Owning a franchise is so much more than making quality food, as Carline and Lewis have discovered. They have formed great relationships with all their loyal guests and have benefitted greatly from
 Dickey’s home office support. “My whole staff watches the daily training videos, and I find that my employees are more engaged when they have video demonstrations that are presented in a fun way,”
 Carline says. “They have learned so much about great customer service from the videos, and always look forward to watching them.”


 The store in Lawrence, although only a year old, has already made huge waves in the community thanks to local marketing efforts. Carline has catered for charity events, such as a Thanksgiving
 dinner for the formerly incarcerated and their families. Recently, Carline and her team catered for a nonprofit that was featured in a documentary film headed to Sundance Film Festival this month.
 Get ready for Dickey’s big appearance on Oscar night!

Real Talk with Real Owners: Carline Jefferson of Lawrence, NY

After 20 years in the Navy, Scott and Rachel Tyra decided to go into business for themselves. They spent a year researching franchise concepts to ensure they made the wisest decision. They knew
 they wanted a fully vetted, well-known business with a proven success model. They liked that Dickey’s has a full training program with ongoing support and knew they wanted to invest in a
 family-owned, privately held company.


 Having both grown up in Texas, Scott and Rachel already had a love for slow-smoked barbecue and they didn’t have many barbecue options in their adopted hometown near Seattle. They love the area and
 found a perfect opportunity to not only satisfy their craving, but build a business around it. “Our guests can feel our passion for great barbecue and when they learn our story they become
 passionate about it too,” Rachel says. “We have had a lot of success through community marketing and social media and have built a loyal following in our community using those tools.”


 The store prides itself on community building activities and recently worked with the local high school football team’s booster club to cater the night before the state championship game. Scott
 gave a rousing pep talk and the team won the next day!

Real Talk with Real Owners: Scott and Rachel Tyra of Issaquah WA

Jamie and Liza Bynum both came from the IT industry, but after over a decade of experience working for someone else, they decided it was time to open their own business. They knew they wanted a
 proven concept that would train and support them as they learned a new trade and developed a business plan.


 Dickey’s emerged as the obvious choice, and Jamie attended the four week training program, Barbecue University, to learn all about not only food preparation but owning a business. “We have
 benefitted tremendously from Dickey’s training,” Jamie says. “But Dickey’s doesn’t just train. They support us through local marketing and advertising, and help us with catering leads as well.”


 The Bynums are happy to own two stores in California that are family-friendly and family-oriented. With many full service restaurants in the area, Jamie says that Dickey’s provides a great
 alternative for families to enjoy quality, delicious food with reasonable prices and quick service. He regularly sponsors local sports teams and caters for the many businesses in the community, and
 is also very active on social media.


 With two existing stores and three more in the works, Jamie and Liza have become successful business owners and have great second careers with Dickey’s Barbecue Pit.

Real Talk with Jamie and Liza Bynum of Lancaster and Palmdale

In North Carolina, the citizens know great barbecue. So when former CPA Fran Noel decided to open a restaurant, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit was an obvious choice. Fran and her business partner Dorothy
 Elias researched several concepts before making a decision. In addition to great barbecue, Dickey’s low franchise fees and helpful approach toward future franchisees sealed the deal. Their first
 store opened in Asheville in 2012, followed by the second store in Canton in 2014.


 With November catering numbers at 32 percent, Fran is proof that community marketing works. “The Community Marketing training videos distributed by the home office have inspired us to get out in
 the van and go into our communities, which has worked for us to seal some great catering deals. I enjoy interacting with people and the suggested activities make it possible to meet people and
 build sales at the same time.” Fran’s team recently delivered an XL Family Pack to a big box retailer, and got three big caterings over Thanksgiving weekend as a result.


 Both stores are also active in “Rib Raisers”, Dickey’s fundraising program for schools and community events. Fran provided lunch for the March of Dimes in Canton and Asheville and also helps with
 the Toys for Tots Tractor Run in both communities.  


 In addition to all her community marketing and charitable activities, Fran builds her local brand presence through competitions. She won ‘Top Hog’ at Bacon Fest in 2013 and the People’s Choice
 Award at the Western Carolina Barbecue Festival last summer. Congratulations to this week’s Brand Champion!

Real Talk With Real Owners: Fran Noel of Asheville and Canton, NC

As the former General Manager of this store, Heather Flannery jumped at the opportunity to take on ownership. With the years of food service experience, she was the perfect fit for the Dickey’s
 location in Wausau.


 People in Central Wisconsin love quality food, and Heather has many loyal guests that come for the quality slow-smoked meats and signature sides, but stay for the southern hospitality.


 The keys to success for the Wausau store are community marketing and engagement. They do several fundraisers around the community benefitting Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Sheriff’s Department and
 local sports teams. Recently, Heather donated all the food for Never Forgotten Honor Flight, a fundraiser to help veterans fly to Washington DC to visit the memorials that stand in their honor.

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 Heather says she loves being a franchisee for the security it provides. She says that the community marketing and art request availability help build brand awareness in her town. “Dickey’s
 marketing department keeps us constantly moving in the right direction,” Heather says. “The ads they generate bring new customers every day. The mail drops have brought in a lot of new people, who
 are now our regular customer base.”

Real Talk with Real Owners: Heather Flanery of Wausau, WI

For 25 years, Lee Waskom operated a textbook business that serviced university campuses in northern Louisiana. He also owned a shopping center building that had a space open up at just the right
 time that he was ready for his next venture. After researching franchise businesses at length, Lee chose Dickey’s because of the quality food, solid internal structure and ongoing franchise support
 from the corporate office. The pellet ice and Coke products gave him the extra nudge and now Lee is the proud owner of one of the largest Dickey’s locations with plans to open another store in
 Lafayette in March.


 Lee’s store is located across the street from Northwestern University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Having partnered with universities his entire career, Lee leveraged that experience as he got his
 start in the barbecue business. In discussions with the school’s athletic director, Lee discovered that a large restaurant with high-protein options and TVs playing sports in demand when hosting
 opposing teams. Filling that need has been an excellent community engagement tool for this Dickey’s store. In the college town of 20,000,


 Lee has found a niche market not only for sports, but for what he calls “in-store catering.” He was able to use extra space in his shopping center as a party room and he frequently hosts wedding
 parties, birthday parties and other get-togethers, in which he sets up full-service catering spreads in-house. This holiday season, Lee is already booked with many holiday parties.


 Lee knew he wanted to choose a franchise with an excellent training program. “The Shift Meeting Training Videos are great for training new and existing employees,” Lee says of Dickey’s daily
 training videos. “The videos are great visual aids and I find them very helpful to enforce Dickey’s brand standards.” Lee consistently uses the training and marketing tools to grow his business in
 Natchitoches and will follow the same model at the new store in Lafayette. As a Brand Champion, we give Lee and his store an A – plus!

Real Talk with Real Owners - Lee Waskom of Natchitoches, LA

Thomas and Stacey Hart came to Charlotte via Dallas to follow the microbrewery business. As a brew master, Thomas relocated to be at the center of the brewing
 hotspot. The couple has been involved in the restaurant industry for decades, and they actually met at a local restaurant near the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium. 



 Originally from the DFW Metropolex, Thomas and Stacey both grew up eating at Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. In fact, Thomas’ parents have been going to the same Dickey’s every Wednesday for 40 years.


 “Charlotte is a great barbecue city,” Stacey says. “This city’s barbecue focuses mostly on pork, so we are one of the only barbecue restaurants to serve good brisket.” All generations of the Hart
 family love Dickey’s, even down to the youngest child. Every time the family visited Texas, they had to stop at their favorite Dickey’s to get a taste of their hometown. Eventually, Thomas’ father
 suggested that the couple open a Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Charleston, as the city was missing a great Texas-style barbecue place. The rest is history! Stacey opened the store in 2013 and has been
 doing excellent business ever since.


 The store in Charleston is located in a corporate part of town, and Stacey spends a lot of time catering to local businesses and bringing food to construction workers in the rapidly growing
 business park. “The bounce-back catering cards work wonders for our store. We see a lot of repeat business from secretaries and pharmaceutical reps that host frequent caterings, and the discount
 cards have made loyal guests out of these catering jobs, both professionally and personally.” Catering accounts for 22% of the store’s business, and Stacey uses community marketing tools regularly
 to continue to build her business.

Real Talk with Real Owners - Stacey Hart of Charlotte, NC

It takes a bold entrepreneur to open a barbecue restaurant near Austin, Texas, but Amish Patel is the right person for the challenge. Born in a
family of business owners, Amish is a veteran franchisee in California, Florida and Texas.


 Amish started his franchising career shortly after college with a well-known ice cream chain. After the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009, he left California to get involved with a different food
 service company in Florida. Eventually he and his investment partner decided to make the move to the Lone Star State to take advantage of the growing economy. They decided on Dickey’s because of
 the rapid growth and excellent food quality.


 “Austin knows great barbecue, and we relish the competition,” Amish says. “With Dickey’s marketing support, the stores in this area have been successful by using all the community marketing tools
 available to them. Dickey’s makes it easy to be successful. All I have to do is follow the road map.”


 With three stores in the area, including one in San Antonio, Amish has grown his business through catering. He caters for local schools and businesses, but his biggest catering win was with the
 Austin Film Festival. The festival hosted over 1,000 film producers and directors in 26 theaters. He also catered the Texas Railroad Commission Fundraiser, in which he sold barbecue sandwiches in
 front of the state capitol, donating $2 of every sale toward the fundraiser.


 Reaching out to the community using Dickey’s marketing tools has made Amish successful in the most competitive barbecue scene in the state. With catering at an astonishing 52 percent, it is clear
 that the system works!

Real Talk with Amish Patel of Sunset Valley, Kyle, and San Antonio

Originally a chemical engineer, Matt Jensen had always wanted to own a business. Once his youngest child went to school full time, he and his wife Ashley knew it was time to focus on the next
 chapter.


 Initially Matt and Ashley knew they wanted to open a franchise and looked for a financially strong company. They looked into several types of businesses and narrowed it down by franchise cost and
 profits. When Matt walked into a Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, he could smell the slow – smoked meats and taste the quality ingredients. After that he knew he would open a Dickey’s.


 The Jensens now own two stores in West Valley and Farmington, Utah. West Valley is mostly an industrial community, where the local Dickey’s has many opportunities to cater lunches and support local
 businesses. Farmington, by contrast, is heavily residential and has a new shopping development and local theater. Matt typically spends lunch time at the West Valley location, then travels the
 short distance to Farmington for dinner service.


 “We do food the right way,” Matt says. “Our food isn’t pre-cooked or frozen mystery meat. It’s authentic, quality food that we slow – smoke in our restaurants daily.” The cities of Farmington and
 West Valley recognize the quality food served at Dickey’s, and have embraced Matt and his store as a part of the local communities. With catering at 23% and growing, both stores succeed by
 sponsoring local high school football teams, offering discount caterings and reaching out to people who are not yet familiar to Texas barbecue.

Real Talk with Matt Jensen of West Valley and Farmington, UT

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 In the western town of Pendleton, OR, rodeo and barbecue go hand-in-hand. The Pendleton Round-Up hosts one of the largest rodeos in
 the world, and beyond the town lay farming communities. Slow-smoked barbecue is a perfect fit in this community. 
 


 Owner/Operator Shawn Pace began his career in barbecue when he had the opportunity to use a family-owned rental space. After
 searching for the perfect restaurant franchise, Shawn chose Dickey’s because they were growing at a rapid rate and had great support for its owner/operators. 
 


 “The best part about being in the barbecue business is
 all of the happy customers,” Shawn says. “I love that people want to come to our restaurant and love the experience they have.  The staff is like a big happy family and the customers are our
 guests.” 
 


 The
 small town community has been great for Shawn and his family. He is a part of multiple clubs and sponsor numerous events in the community. He has leveraged this community visibility into community
 marketing and catering opportunities. His catering sales have grown to 22.4% using these brand tools.

Real Talk with Real Owners - Shawn Pace of Pendleton, OR

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 Eight years ago M.J. Breaux took over the first Dickey’s Barbecue Pit franchise in Mesquite, Texas. He knew that, with every
 barbecue competitor within a couple miles, he had his work cut out for him in operating the legacy store. But after 11 years in corporate America, he was ready for the challenge.

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 Eight years ago America had not yet encountered the recession, and M.J. faced difficult days throughout the mid 2000’s. He fought
 through hard times using Dickey’s proven success model, focusing on driving the business using the tools he gained in Barbecue University and Community Marketing. Today the store stands proudly as
 a top 10 high volume store with catering at 19.2%.

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 “The brand is 10 times larger now than when I bought in,” M.J. says. “The most important thing for franchisees to understand is that
 we are partners. We won’t agree with everything, but there is an opportunity for dialogue that has increased more and more and more over the years, from purchasing to marketing.”

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 Today, M.J. owns another store in Wylie, TX whose revenue has increased 20% since he acquired it seven months ago. He and his family
 of eight are truly passionate about the art of great barbecue. In fact the three-year old triplets’ first word was “Dickey’s”.

Real Talk with Real Owners: M.J. Breaux of Mesquite and Wylie, TX

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 Formerly an Executive Pastor at mega-churches throughout
 the Midwest, Jay Rhodes has always loved Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. He decided to move back home to central Pennsylvania, where there were not as many opportunities to work in his chosen field. 
 He decided, “If I can supervise dozens of pastors and more than 100 ministry program leaders, surely, I could run a restaurant.  So I bought a Dickey's.” 


 With few truly authentic slow-smoked barbecue
 restaurants in the area, Jay was ready to bring the flavors of his second home, Dallas, to his original hometown.


 With catering a whopping 24 percent of his business, it
 is obvious that Jay has worked hard to integrate into his community. He actively supports his alma mater, Penn State, through their fraternities, sororities and nonprofits. He donated 1,300
 sandwiches lasts year to the student blood drive and he serves on the local board of directors of the Nittany Co-Operative, consisting of 27 non-profits, 41 fraternities, 23 sororities, and nine
 student clubs. Additionally, his store supports the Red Cross and won an award as one of the leading businesses that supports the organization in Central Pennsylvania.


  Jay has worked hard to build success as a
 franchisee, but also appreciates all the support from the Dickey’s Home Office. “I love coming to my store every day,” Jay says. “I love the Dickey's Standards, as they are here to help me.  I
 love the Dickey’s Home Office staff as they help me resolve problems, and I appreciate marketing as I have seen how their efforts have driven sales in my local store.” Jay plans to continue to
 spread the love throughout Pennsylvania, as he has just signed another franchise agreement and is currently in negotiations for a third store.

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