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IN THE NEWS

        <div>She doesn’t cook and she’s not a blood relative to the founders of Dickey’s Barbecue, but Laura Rea Dickey is running the show at the nation’s largest barbecue chain.</div><div><br></div><div>Earlier this year, Laura Rea Dickey was named CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc. — not all that startling until you realize that Rea is her maiden name.</div><div><br></div><div>She’s the 38-year-old wife of Roland Dickey Jr. and daughter-in-law of Roland Dickey Sr., the iconoclastic patriarch of the nation’s largest barbecue chain, which operates a location in Erie’s Liberty Center.</div><div><br></div><div>Her ascension to mistress of the barbecue pit is an anomaly on another front: She’s a terrible cook.</div><div><br></div><div>“That is not the part of the business that I impact, I promise,” she said. “It’s a Dickey’s family tradition that the men cook. So I got on board with that really fast. I can make reservations and a martini, and that’s it.”</div><div><br></div><div>That may be true for the kitchen, but Laura Dickey holds considerable sway when it comes to technology, big data and marketing. In her previous role as Dickey’s chief information officer, she built an eight-year road map for bringing the family’s slow-smoked barbecue business into the lightning-speed digital age.</div><div><br></div><div>Such advanced technology is a must for a company that’s in a torrid expansion mode.</div><div><br></div><div>Four years into it, every restaurant operator can tap into point-of-sale analytics, study data heat maps and market directly to customers via the proprietary Smoke Stack system that Dickey’s codeveloped with iOlap, a Dallas-area big data provider.</div><div><br></div><div>Dickey’s and franchisees can spot what’s working in the 565 stores and what’s not to make adjustments on the fly.</div><div><br></div><div>Customers can order online and have their food delivered by third-party services, such as GrubHub and Doordash. Come September, a customer app will use beaconing technology so that you can pick up your order curbside without getting out of your car.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Currently, the five company-owned Dickey’s Barbecue Pits, including the original in Dallas, are test driving Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service before it’s rolled out to all of its stores by the end of the year.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Not that long ago, the original flagship was still using a cash register and faxing in sales reports.</div><div><br></div><div>At the beginning of the year, the family formed Dickey’s Capital Group, an umbrella company that owns its various investments including the barbecue company.</div><div><br></div><div>Roland Dickey Jr., 43, moved into the holding company’s top slot and Laura Dickey moved into his.</div><div><br></div><div>“Laura’s a perfectionist. She makes sure all of the details are tended to,” her husband said. “She brings high energy, creative vision that is absolutely remarkable.”</div><div><br></div><div>She’s hardly the lone female running the barbecue business. Twelve of its 14 top execs are women.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’re not a bunch of fat guys grilling meat,” Roland says.</div><div><br></div><div>Last year, Dickey’s opened 87 restaurants, bringing the total to 508 at year end, and it reported systemwide sales of $421 million.</div>        
      
      

Erie Times: She’s the leader of the pit

View the full segment <a href="http://www.kvoa.com/clip/13601365/news-4-cooks-brisket">here</a>.&nbsp;

Dickey's Barbecue Pit: The Brisket that Brings Flavor to Life

<div>Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchisees can manage their businesses from the kitchen via Alexa, thanks to the chain's incorporation of iOLAP's Enterprise Voice Platform.</div><div><br></div><div>"In working with iOLAP to customize this technology for our restaurants, we are giving each of our franchisees a way to carry out key business functions hands-free in their kitchens," CEO Laura Rea Dickey, said in a company press release. "At Dickey's, we are constantly looking for new ways to better our business along with our slow-smoked barbecue. This new technology means our franchisees can retrieve key data without having to stop smoking ribs."</div><div><br></div><div>This new software gives Dickey's franchisees the opportunity to have store information a voice-command away, and is the second phase of Dickey's big data initiatives, Dickey said.</div><div><br></div><div>"Smokestack, our proprietary data platform makes data accessible and actionable in our restaurants," she said. "By layering in this new enterprise voice platform, we hope to make data even more restaurant friendly. We've worked a lot with iOLAP to optimize Alexa for the kitchen from the data integration to the right placement in the back of house. We've also been thankful for franchisees that have opted in to further test the technology."</div><div><br></div><div>Operators can ask Alexa for daily sales metrics, KPI analytics or even when the brisket in their smoker should be finished smoking. That — coupled with the platform's ability to perform inventory analysis, food safety reminders and waste management controls — will help manage their business, Dickey said.</div><div><br></div><div>"I have been with Dickey's for over 20 years, and I never would have thought we would be using an Alexa to carry out parts key (to) the business," said Owner/Operator Dale Smith. "I can continue to do what is important, which is smoking meats, while Alexa can easily give me the business metrics I need."</div>        
      

Dickey's Franchisees Use Alexa to Track Operations: Fast Casual

<div>Dickey’s Barbecue Pit locations will begin incorporating iOLAP’s new Enterprise Voice Platform to carry out daily business functions in the store. Dickey’s, a known technology leader in the restaurant industry, is adopting this new platform accelerating the development, deployment, operations, and monitoring of Alexa Skills in the business environment.<br></div><div><br></div><div>“In working with iOLAP to customize this technology for our restaurants, we are giving each of our franchisees a way to carry out key business functions hands-free in their kitchens,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc. “At Dickey’s, we are constantly looking for new ways to better our business along with our slow-smoked barbecue. This new technology means our franchisees can retrieve key data without having to stop smoking ribs.”</div><div><br></div><div>This new software gives Dickey’s owner-operators the opportunity to have store information a voice-command away, and is the second phase of Dickey's big data initiative.<br></div><div><br></div><div>"Smokestack, our proprietary data platform makes data accessible and actionable in our restaurants," Dickey says. "By layering in this new enterprise voice platform, we hope to make data even more restaurant friendly. We've worked a lot with iOLAP to optimize Alexa for the kitchen from the data integration to the right placement in the back of house. We've also been thankful for franchisees that have opted in to further test the technology."</div><div><br></div><div>Dickey's owner-operators can ask Alexa for their daily sales metrics, KPI analytics or even when the brisket in their smoker should be finished smoking. That, coupled with the platform’s ability to perform inventory analysis, food safety reminders, and waste management controls will help owner-operators better manage their business.</div><div><br></div><div>“I have been with Dickey’s for over 20 years, and I never would have thought we would be using an Alexa to carry out parts key of the business,” says owner-operator Dale Smith. “I can continue to do what is important, which is smoking meats, while Alexa can easily give me the business metrics I need.”</div><div><br></div><div>View the article <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/dickeys-incorporates-voice-platform-business-metrics">here</a>. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div>        
      

QSR: Dickey's Incorporates Voice Platform for Business Metrics

<div>Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, a popular Texas-based restaurant with locations throughout the Central Valley, is integrating new technology to enhance its daily business operations.</div><div><br></div><div>The restaurant’s locations will begin incorporating a new enterprise voice platform from iOLAP, a data and analytics company, to operate hands-free and accelerate operations.</div><div><br></div><div>“In working with iOLAP to customize this technology for our restaurants, we are giving each of our franchisees a way to carry out key business functions hands-free in their kitchens,” said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s, in a statement. “At Dickey’s, we are constantly looking for new ways to better our business along with our slow-smoked barbecue. This new technology means our franchisees can retrieve key data without having to stop smoking ribs.”</div><div><br></div><div>The new software, Alexa Skills (the same used in Amazon’s Echo), gives owner/operators the ability to retrieve data via voice command.</div><div><br></div><div>“Smokestack, our proprietary platform, makes data accessible and actionable in our restaurants,” Dickey said. “We’ve worked a lot with iOLAP to optimize Alexa for the kitchen from the data integration to the right placement in the back of house. We’ve also been thankful for franchisees that have opted in to further test the technology.”</div><div><br></div><div>It’s Dickey’s hope that the technology will make data more “restaurant friendly.”</div><div><br></div><div>Franchisees can ask Alexa for daily sales metrics, KPI analytics or when brisket should be finished being smoked. The platform also allows for inventory analysis, food safety reminders and waste management control.</div>        
      

Dickey’s Barbecue Integrates Alexa into Restaurant Operations

<div>GARLAND, Texas, Aug. 16, 2017 : Dickey's Barbecue Pit opens their newest location in Garland this Thursday with four weeks of specials and giveaways, including free barbecue for a year for three lucky guests. The new store will be owned and operated by Texas native Shaun Martin and his father Gene.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;"The Dickey family congratulates Shaun Martin on opening his first Dickey's Barbecue Pit location in the north Texas area," says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. "We are always proud when we are able to expand Dickey's presence in our home state."&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Dickey's will offer the following specials and giveaways for the next four weeks:&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Thirsty Thursdays: Guests will receive a free Big Yellow Cup with free refills all day.</div><div><br></div><div>Philanthropy Fridays: "You Give, We Give" - Guests who donate to Dickey's charitable foundation, Barbecue, Boots &amp; Badges, will receive a gift card as a thank you for their donation. All uniformed first responders also receive 50 percent off their meal.</div><div><br></div><div>Giveaway Saturday: Guests can register for a chance to win free barbecue for a year.</div><div><br></div><div>Kids Eat Free Sundays: Kids eat free with an adult purchase of $10 or more.</div><div><br></div><div>To join Dickey's Big Yellow Cup Club and receive members-only specials and discounts, click here.</div><div><br></div><div>With years of restaurant experience, and a love for authentic barbecue, Martin and his father decided to research franchising opportunities and found a home in Dickey's. After opening their first location in Garland, the duo plans to open five more locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. "We are looking forward to opening our first Dickey's location and having the opportunity to serve our community Dickey's slow-smoked barbecue," says Martin.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The new Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Garland is located at 4441 Bass Pro Drive #700 Garland, TX 75043. The phone number is 972-203-7338.</div>        
      

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Opens New Location in Their Home State

<div>Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has formed partnerships with more than 50 vendors to provide delivery services for the fast-casual chain’s franchises. GrubHub, UberEats, Postmates and Amazon are among the service providers.</div><div><br></div><div>“Folks’ idea of convenience has evolved to mean on demand, making delivery a guest expectation for most restaurants,” Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Pit, said in a statement. “We are taking measures to ensure its success for our brand and franchises. By offering third-party delivery through dickeys.com as well as our partner’s sites, we’ve extended our barbecue base. Third-party delivery isn’t revolutionary, but integrating it seamlessly into our business is unique.”</div><div><br></div><div>Dickey’s new website hosts third-party delivery vendors which enables consumers to easily place online orders for delivery or in-store pickup. The company said more than 20 new delivery services have been added since the beginning of 2017, and new partnerships with additional providers are being formed weekly.</div><div><br></div><div>“Third-party delivery vendors allow our owner/operators to continue to focus on Texas-style barbecue and keep delivery costs low, while providing our guests ease in order and delivery,” Renee Roozen, president of Dickey’s, said in a statement.</div>        
      

Meat + Poultry: Dickey's Barbecue Pit Delivers

        <div><a href="https://hospitalitytech.com/secrets-cios-unmasked">Hospitality Technology</a> wrote an amazing article about the importance of CIOs in today's restaurant industry highlighting Laura Rea Dickey.</div>        
      
      

Hospitality Technology: Secrets of CIOs Unmasked

<div>Dickey's Barbecue Pit is now offering a Tailgate Party Pack to kick off tailgate party season, according to a press release.</div><div><br></div><div>The pack costs $99 and includes four pounds of meat as well as topping, enough to feed twelve adults.</div><div><br></div><div>"Barbecue and big games are a perfect match. We think folks will find our Tailgate Party Pack is a win for parties and a much higher quality alternative to wings or pizza for a similar price," said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, in the release. "Plus, the Tailgate Party Pack can be ordered for delivery, so no one misses any football. We're excited to bring slow-smoked barbecue into the delivery space, giving guests more time to enjoy the season."</div><div><br></div><div>The concept is also promoting its Rack N' Roll Platter for $26, according to the release.</div><div>&nbsp;</div>        
      

Fast Casual: Dickey's debuts $99 tailgate food pack

<div>View the segment <a href="http://www.kvoa.com/story/36082562/dickeys-barbecue-st-louis-style-ribs">here</a>.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>On News 4 Cooks, Owner Daryl Weaver from Dickey's Barbecue talked about St. Louis style ribs.</div><div>Chef Micaela Boaz showed us how to season a whole rack, half rack or quarter rack of ribs with Dickey's Rib Rub, which you can buy at Dickey's Barbecue Pit.</div><div><br></div><div>Just take 4 tablespoons of the Rib Rub, rub it on both sides of the ribs.</div><div><br></div><div>Heat smoker to 275 degrees F.</div><div>Smoke ribs for 3-3.5 hours until tender.</div><div>Pair with favorite barbecue sauce and side items.</div>        
      

KVOA 4: Dickey's Barbecue St. Louis style ribs

<div>Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, the largest barbecue chain in the nation, is ready to change the game when it comes to tailgate parties. What better way to kick-off the 2017-2018 football season than with low and slow-smoked barbecue delivered for game day? On August 7, the new Tailgate Party Pack will be available to order at your local Dickey’s Barbecue Pit offering guests a more convenient way to order, deliver, set-up, clean-up and of course keep their crew satisfied beyond kick-off.</div><div><br></div><div>For just $99, the Tailgate Party Pack easily feeds up to 12 adults, boasting four pounds of Dickey’s most popular slow-smoked meats and enough classic barbecue sides to satisfy a defensive line. The Tailgate Party Pack includes:</div><div><br></div><div>2 lbs Brisket</div><div>2 lbs Pulled Pork</div><div>64 oz Potato Salad</div><div>64 oz Coleslaw</div><div>64 oz Barbecue Beans</div><div>12 Buttery Rolls</div><div>Serving utensils &amp; plates</div><div><br></div><div>Fans can also order or add Dickey’s new Rack N’ Roll Platter ($26), which includes a full rack of ribs and six buttery rolls, to satisfy your crew well into overtime.</div><div><br></div><div>Both the Tailgate Party Pack and the Rack N’ Roll platter, along with Dickey’s full menu, can be ordered at dickeys.com. The majority of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit locations are also launching delivery directly through the restaurant or through a third party delivery partner. Orders may also be placed by calling 866-Barbecue.</div><div><br></div><div>“Barbecue and big games are a perfect match. We think folks will find our Tailgate Party Pack is a win for parties and a much higher quality alternative to wings or pizza for a similar price,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. “Plus, the Tailgate Party Pack can be ordered for delivery, so no one misses any football. We’re excited to bring slow-smoked barbecue into the delivery space, giving guests more time to enjoy the season.”</div>        
      

QSR: Dickey’s Unveils Tailgate Party Pack for $99

<div>DALLAS — &nbsp;Dickey's Barbecue Pit released its new Tailgate Party Pack this week and will be available to order at a local Dickey's Barbecue Pit.</div><div>For $99, the Tailgate Party Pack feeds up to 12 adults, with 4 lbs. of Dickey's slow-smoked meats and plenty of side dishes.</div><div><br></div><div>The Tailgate Party Pack includes:</div><div>2 lbs. brisket<br></div><div>2 lbs. pulled pork</div><div>64-oz. potato salad</div><div>64-oz. coleslaw</div><div>64-oz. barbecue beans</div><div>12 rolls</div><div>Serving utensils &amp; plates</div><div><br></div><div>Fans can also order or add Dickey's new Rack N' Roll Platter ($26), which includes a full rack of ribs and six buttery rolls, to satisfy your crew well into overtime.</div><div><br></div><div>"Barbecue and big games are a perfect match. We think folks will find our Tailgate Party Pack is a win for parties and a much higher quality alternative to wings or pizza for a similar price," said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. "Plus, the Tailgate Party Pack can be ordered for delivery, so no one misses any football. We're excited to bring slow-smoked barbecue into the delivery space, giving guests more time to enjoy the season."</div><div><br></div><div>Both the Tailgate Party Pack and the Rack N' Roll platter, along with Dickey's full menu, can be ordered at dickeys.com. The majority of Dickey's Barbecue Pit locations are also launching delivery directly through the restaurant or a third-party delivery partner. Orders may also be placed by calling 866-Barbecue.</div>        
      

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Offers Tailgate Package for Football Season

<div>Earlier this year, Laura Rea Dickey was named CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc. — not all that startling until you realize that Rea is her maiden name.</div><div><br></div><div>She’s the 38-year-old wife of Roland Dickey Jr. and daughter-in-law of Roland Dickey Sr., the iconoclastic patriarch of the nation’s largest barbecue chain that dates back to 1941.</div><div><br></div><div>Her ascension to mistress of the barbecue pit is an anomaly on another front: She’s a terrible cook.</div><div><br></div><div>“That is not the part of the business that I impact, I promise,” Laura says. “It’s a Dickey’s family tradition that the men cook. So I got on board with that really fast. I can make reservations and a martini, and that’s it.”</div><div><br></div><div>That maybe true for the kitchen, but Laura holds considerable sway when it comes to technology, big data and marketing. In her previous role as Dickey’s chief information officer, she built an eight-year road map for bringing the family’s slow-smoked barbecue business into the lightning-speed digital age.</div><div><br></div><div>Such advanced technology is a must for a company that’s in a torrid expansion mode.</div><div><br></div><div>Four years into it, every restaurant operator can tap into point-of-sale analytics, study data heat maps and market directly to customers via the proprietary Smoke Stack system that Dickey’s co-developed with iOlap, a Frisco-based big data provider.</div><div><br></div><div>Dickey’s and franchisees can spot on the spot what’s working in the 565 stores and what’s not to make adjustments on the fly.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Customers can order online and have their food delivered by third-party services, such as Grubhub and Doordash. Come September, a customer app will use beaconing technology so that you can pick up your order curbside without getting out of your car.</div><div><br></div><div>Currently, the five company-owned Dickey’s Barbecue Pits, including the original on North Central Expressway at Knox/Henderson, are test driving Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service before it’s rolled out to all of its stores by the end of the year.</div><div><br></div><div>Not that long ago, the original flagship was still using a cash register and faxing in sales reports.</div><div><br></div><div>“It’s our Hey, Alexa!” says Laura. “An owner/operator or store manager can ask her: ‘Hey Alexa! When’s my delivery due to arrive?’ ‘What are my sales so far today?’ ‘What are my costs of goods this hour?’ ‘How many ribs do I have in the smoker?’ ”</div><div><br></div><div>Dale Smith, 49, who became Dickey’s first franchisee in 1995, is stoked about adding the voice system to his five D-FW stores.</div><div>“Geez, I started doing this 22 years ago, and I never would have thought I would be talking to Alexa to get information or to get things done,” he says. “As I understand it, you can continue smoking meats and preparing food while you check your email or place an order with Sysco. I’m pretty excited about that.”</div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">'Not a bunch of fat guys'</span></div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;At the beginning of the year, the family formed Dickey’s Capital Group, an umbrella company that owns its various investments including the barbecue company.</div><div><br></div><div>Roland Jr., 43, moved into the holding company’s top slot and Laura moved into his.</div><div><br></div><div>“Laura’s a perfectionist. She makes sure all of the details are tended to,” her husband says. “She brings high energy, creative vision that is absolutely remarkable."</div><div><br></div><div>She’s hardly the lone female running the barbecue business. Twelve of its 14 top execs are women.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’re not a bunch of fat guys grilling meat,” Roland says.</div><div><br></div><div>One of those women is Renee Roozen, brand president.</div><div><br></div><div>"My career had been in restaurants owned by private equity,” she says. “Meeting Roland Jr. and Laura cemented the deal for me. Decisions aren’t driven by a dollar checkbook. They’re driven by what’s right for the brand.”</div><div><br></div><div>Last year, Dickey’s opened 87 restaurants, bringing the total to 508 at year end, and it reported systemwide sales of $421 million.</div><div>As of last week, there were 565 Dickey’s stores with another 109 in the pipeline.</div><div><br></div><div>California is its hottest market, and Hawaii is about to get its first taste of Texas barbecue when one opens on the Big Island in the coming months. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Laura is still trying to convert the folks in Alaska, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut.</div><div><br></div><div>Dickey’s is the largest single restaurant purchaser of beef brisket in the country, buying about 10 million pounds (or 5,000 tons) of it each year.</div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">The sacred pit</span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div>The first Dickey’s Barbecue Pit was founded by Travis Dickey, a World War I veteran, who enjoyed serving beer as much as he did barbecue. The original location, a converted schoolhouse, is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Dallas that has never shuttered its doors, changed ownership or moved locations.</div><div><br></div><div>“We have never remodeled or renovated the core part of Central intentionally,” says Laura. “It had a couple of fires, and the original pit actually fell off the back of the building in the '60s.”</div><div><br></div><div>Her father-in-law, whom she calls Senior, designed the second pit that’s still smoking meats today.</div><div><br></div><div>Senior’s side of the clan bought out Martha Dickey, widow of his brother, T.D., after his death in 2011.</div><div><br></div><div>“We’re 76 years young,” says Laura. “We’re third-generation, nimble and innovative. There are no sacred cows other than the pit, the barbecue and the quality.</div><div><br></div><div>“We say, ‘It ain’t legit if you can’t see the pit,’ ” she says.</div><div><br></div><div>That might sound like something from her colorful father-in-law’s mouth, but Laura came up with. it. “I always try to say, ‘Would Senior say this?’ That’s a good litmus test.”</div><div><br></div><div>Senior totally gets the need for what Laura does but remains an unabashed tech holdout, even refusing to use email.</div><div><br></div><div>Laura considered it a personal victory when she got him to trade in his flip-phone for a smart one — only to find out that he didn’t really give it up and makes no bones about using it.</div><div><br></div><div>Then there was the first text she received from him. “I was, ‘Oh, wow! We’ve crossed this threshold.’ And then I realized the woman next to him was texting for him.”</div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Beefing up when times got tough</span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div>Laura, who migrated from Oklahoma City to Texas Christian University in 1997, has an undergraduate degree in philosophy. “If someone were to sum me up, I hope they’d say, ‘She had a curious mind.’ That more than anything is what attracted me to philosophy,” she explains.</div><div>Roland and Laura were working professionals when they met at a bar. “We migrated to each other because we were both too old to be there, and we had business cards,” she says. “So it was like, ‘Oh, you have a business card, I have a business card. Perhaps we can talk.’"</div><div><br></div><div>Laura is a strategic thinker — right down to picking her wedding date. She chose Oct. 28, 2006, because that was the Saturday before Halloween, and she figured that having a holiday bookmark would help both of them remember their anniversary.</div><div><br></div><div>Dickey’s was blowing and going, having just passed the 130-store milestone in 2008, when the economic lights went out on the restaurant industry.</div><div><br></div><div>Roland Jr., who was president of the barbecue business, asked Laura to step to the family plate. She’d been doing strategic planning, data analysis and marketing for clients of The Point Group, and he wanted her to bring her expertise to shore up Dickey’s and then some.</div><div><br></div><div>While other restaurant companies sought shelter hoping to weather the storm, Roland and Laura decided to crank things up.</div><div><br></div><div>“She came in with that marketing and community experience and really got things stepped up,” says Roland “That put us on a sharp trajectory of growth, and we’ve never looked back.”</div><div><br></div><div>“I have a personal mantra,” says Laura. “Evolve or fail. And it definitely was that moment for the company. And we chose to evolve.”</div><div><br></div><div>How so?</div><div><br></div><div>They came up with a smaller prototype that would mean significant savings to franchisees. “We went from a 5,000-square-foot dinner-house buffet to a 2,200-square-foot unit with an open kitchen,” she says.</div><div><br></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fresh perspective</span></div><div><br></div><div>Laura recently spoke at family business conference as a “married-in” — part of the family but not genetically so.</div><div><br></div><div>“There’s an absolute alignment of values and interests,” she says. “But it also allows me to be one step more objective.”</div><div><br></div><div>“You get tunnel vision sometimes,” says Roland, “because you’ve been doing this for so long, having grown up with it. So having her come in with an outside perspective and seeing us like the rest of the world sees us is just incredibly valuable.”</div><div><br></div><div>As to why the 70-year-old patriarch allowed Laura to become CEO of the family’s crown jewel: “It's still true that a woman in business has to work twice as hard as a man to succeed, and I saw in my daughter-in-law the intelligence and commitment to work twice as hard to successfully run the company,” he says. “Plus, she's already hitched to the wagon.”</div><div><br></div><div>Senior says he’s happy to let Laura and Roland run the business while he acts as the company’s folksy ambassador at large.</div><div><br></div><div>Maurine Dickey, his wife of 50 years and a two-term Dallas County Commissioner, runs the family’s nonprofit, Barbecue, Boots &amp; Badges, which supports local law enforcement, firefighters and their families across the country.</div><div><br></div><div>“Putting the Dickey's family on an org chart would be like walking in a minefield,” says Roland Jr. “People expect us to have titles, so we’ve stuck one on each of us.”</div><div><br></div><div>His brother, Cullen, who is in real estate, and sister-in-law, Allison, are not actively involved with the business but are part owners in the family’s holding company.</div><div><br></div><div>Laura's a bit of an independent observer when &nbsp;it comes to sizing up the family.</div><div><br></div><div>“I always describe Senior to someone who hasn’t had the pleasure of entering his orbit as Rodney Dangerfield and Winston Churchill have a baby,” she says. “That’s my father-in-law to a T.</div><div><br></div><div>“Then you have Maurine who has this driven, highly charged focus that’s the opposite of Senior’s sporadic mind.</div><div><br></div><div>“Maurine and Senior met on the debate team in college at SMU. That’s a perfect analogy for their relationship,” Laura says. “They’re polar opposites. Roland [Jr.] and I are polar opposites. We don’t vote the same in elections. I’m the token liberal Libertarian, and that provides for interesting discourse at the [family] dinner table. But the common ground is that of curious minds of different perspectives coming together.”</div><div><br></div><div>As for her husband: “Roland is a perfect hybrid of his parents,” she says. “It’s interesting to see which hat he puts on depending on the situation and what the business needs are.”</div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">So who’s the boss?</span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div>“It depends on who makes coffee first that morning,” she says.</div><div><br></div><div>“She’s had me on a wild-goose chase for years thinking that I was her boss,” says Roland. “The only time I’m the boss is at dinner because I make it, but even then she picks it.”</div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Laura Rea Dickey</span></div><div>Title: Chief executive officer, Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc.</div><div>Age: 38</div><div>Grew up: Oklahoma City</div><div>Resides: Highland Park</div><div>Education: Bachelor’s degree in philosophy and master’s degree in communication, Texas Christian University, 2001 and 2003</div><div>Personal: Married to Roland Dickey Jr. for 10 years. They have a pug, Miss Cleo, and a Chihuahua mix, Charro</div><div>SOURCE: Laura Rea Dickey</div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc.</span></div><div>Founded: 1941</div><div>Corporate offices: Dallas</div><div>Ownership: Dickey’s Capital Group, owned by six members of Roland Dickey Sr.'s family</div><div>Home office employees: 140</div><div>Units: Five company-owned, 560 franchised and 109 in the franchise pipeline</div><div>Owner/operators: 350</div><div>2016 revenue: $420,912,898</div>        
      

Dickey’s Streamlining Boosted Daughter-in-Law’s CEO Rise

<div><div>Detective Justin Ellis was on patrol one evening last October near Fair Park while the State Fair of Texas was in full swing.</div><div><br></div><div>Ellis, who was an officer at the time, was driving down Scyene Road on his motorcycle when he was hit by a red-light runner. After being launched from the bike, he hit the vehicle's windshield, rolled across the top of it and landed on the ground.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>"When I was lying there, I noticed my left leg at my hips was up, and my right leg was down," Ellis said. "I thought, 'Let me get up, get out of the road.' I went to move, and I couldn't move my body."</div><div><br></div><div><div>His pelvis broke in half, and he also suffered a broken foot and several broken toes. With the pelvic fracture came severe blood loss and internal bleeding — so much so that Ellis went into a coma for more than a month.</div><div><br></div><div>"The doctors said I shouldn't have even made it on the ambulance," he said. "Then it was, 'You shouldn't have lived 24 hours.'"</div><div><br></div><div><div>Now, almost a year later, Ellis is nearly ready to rejoin his fellow officers — he'll be back with the force in September. He's still paralyzed, and he says it will take more time for nerves in his legs to regrow.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>But with the help of a wheelchair-accessible vehicle, Ellis will soon regain some of the freedoms he lost with the crash.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Ellis gets around with a rental van, courtesy of the Assist the Officer Foundation, after his worker's compensation ruled that a van wasn't a "necessity" and stopped paying for it.</div><div><br></div><div>All Ellis needs now is the customized Toyota Camry waiting for him at the Toyota of Rockwall dealership. This weekend and next, the dealership is donating 97.1 percent of service proceeds to the car, in partnership with "The Eagle" KEGL-FM (97.1).&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Ellis, who lives in Rockwall, said that for Toyota of Rockwall to step up "is amazing."&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div><div>Barbecue, Boots &amp; Badges, a foundation created by Maurine Dickey of Dickey's Barbecue Pit, is also joining the effort. Dickey said the fundraiser has already collected about half of the money needed to buy the car, which Toyota of Rockwall is providing at a discounted cost.</div><div><br></div><div>Local Dickey's restaurants have already held eight fundraisers, with plans to host 12 more, she said.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>"For me, this is all about getting back into the community," Ellis said. "This is about creating a bit more normalcy."&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Ellis won't be returning on patrol just yet, but he's looking forward to the simple things, like driving to the grocery store by himself.</div><div><br></div><div><div>"Before the crash I was pretty independent," he said. "Now, not being able to do things like drive myself makes me feel kind of like a burden, even though the guys [who drive me] wouldn't say that."</div><div><br></div><div>After his crash, Ellis saw an outpouring of support from other police in the area.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Texas Municipal Police Association remodeled his home, adding wheelchair-accessible doorways and a new shower. Mesquite officers built wheelchair ramps in the front and back of his house, redoing his deck. Farmers Branch, Rockwall and Carrollton police sponsored his children, Charles and Miranda, as Christmas angels.</div><div><br></div><div>"It's amazing how we've all come together," Ellis said, especially after the ambush downtown last July that left four Dallas police officers and one DART officer dead.</div><div><br></div><div>"When it's one of your own you'll do more, even when there's no hope," he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Ellis said that after the crash, officers closed off traffic on the entire route to the hospital for the ambulance.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Months later, he met the lieutenant and a medic that responded to his crash. "That was the biggest therapy for me," he said.</div><div>His partner, Detective Joe Stinson, even spent Thanksgiving with him in the hospital.</div><div><br></div><div>Ellis hopes to regain full use of his legs, but it's a long road — and he thinks that his new car will help him get there.</div><div><br></div><div>To donate, visit Toyota of Rockwall or a local Dickey's Barbecue Pit, or go to givebbb.org.</div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br></div>        
      

DART Detective Returns to Work After Fundraiser for Paralyzing Crash

<div>Native Texan and Dickey's Barbecue Pit operator Shannon Skains will open his second location in Buford Georgia, according to a press release.</div><div><br></div><div>"We are looking forward to the opportunity to serve more of the community with our second location," Skains said. "Barbecue is an underdeveloped segment in the area and we are proud to grow this Texas brand in Georgia."</div><div><br></div><div>Skains has a long history in the restaurant industry and runs his Dickey's locations with his partner and wife, Asia. The duo plans to open more locations in the future, according to the release.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>"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," Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., said in the release. "We are always proud when our current owners decide to invest more in us and our brand to open new locations in their communities."</div>        
      

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