Those hungry for some tasty barbeque won’t have to wait much longer for a new option to open its doors in Destrehan.
July 22 has been targeted as the opening date for Dickey’s Barbeque Pit at the entrance of the Ormond Plantation subdivision, the restaurant taking the space formerly occupied by Burger King for many years.
Robert Dunning, Dickey’s franchisee owner, originally targeted a first quarter opening this year, but noted there were a few setbacks – but the roadblocks are gone.
“It’s looking like, without any unforeseen delays, it’ll be the 22nd,” Dunning said. “We started back in January getting the building up to speed. A three-month project turned into a six-month one … we found some troubles with the building and it was an old building anyway that needed lots of repair.
“But everything’s been coming together. Short of anything weird, we’re at the doorstep.”
While the delay was ongoing, Dunning didn’t put the time to waste – he delivered a taste of what was to come to the local community on a few occasions via a Dickey’s food truck at the soon-to-be open restaurant’s parking lot.
“We’ve sold out within the first two hours,” Dunning said before noting he’s cut off the practice more recently to build some anticipation for the opening. “There’s been a lot of good buzz, a lot of good feedback. It’s really exciting to be so close to kicking this off and we’re very happy to be coming to the neighborhood.
“Everyone’s been so positive, my wife even said she wants to move out here,” Dunning said with a laugh.
Dunning owns multiple Dickey’s locations in the New Orleans area, with Destrehan one of three he’s adding to that number this year. There will also be a site in Chalmette and a food truck will operate in LaPlace.
He said the Destrehan area was a natural fit to expand to.
“I thought, ‘man, this is such a good spot (for a potential restaurant),’ between Destrehan and LaPlace, and when I saw the building had opened up, it felt almost destined, right? I was doing a catering order there and saw the building was open so I called to inquire, and everything fell into place from there.”
He said he’s hired for a few spots already, but said last week he was about to ramp up efforts to hire and train new employees for the site.
Dickey’s menu pricing starts at $3 and includes deals of the day and large family packs. Buttery rolls are served with every meal along with complementary ice cream, and kids eat free on Sunday. Among menu items will be beef brisket, pulled pork, St. Louis style ribs, polish sausage, spicy cheddar sausage, smoked turkey, marinated chicken and sides including jalapeño beans.
“Robert is truly a brand champion and we’re proud to be his partner and watch him build on his success by serving even more folks Legit. Texas. Barbecue,” CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Laura Rea Dickey said earlier this year.
For nearly 80 years, Dickey’s has specialized in barbecued meals smoked onsite in a hickory wood-burning pit. The fast casual franchise has grown to include more than 500 locations across 44 states and two international locations.
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