Chowly
Mandatorynt of sale system and TIBS. Additionally, you must (i) subscribe to any third-party online ordering or delivery services that Dickey’s has approved in the Assigned Area, including Chowly, Inc.’s third
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Dickey's Barbecue Pit
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Dickey's Barbecue Pit is controlled at the corporate level, with a tightly mandated tech stack covering POS, accounting, and third-party delivery integration. The franchise operates 386 total units (377 franchised, 9 company-owned), giving vendors a concentrated addressable market of nearly 400 locations. Key decision-makers include CEO Laura Rea Dickey and the Dickey family board, who enforce strict system-wide technology standards.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
386
377 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-17.865%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
3%
national + local
Initial fee
$20K
per unit
Investment range
$270K–$894K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
1 years
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
9%of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
2 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Facebook
Mandatoryhat uses any of the Proprietary Marks, or that offers to sell or sells any products or services offered by Dickey’s Restaurants; except that you must participate in and maintain a Facebook page or oth
Instagram
mobile apps appearing on smartphones or other electronic devices (including, for example, Android Marketplace or the Apple Store), social media webpage (including, for example, X, Instagram, LinkedIn)
LinkedIn
appearing on smartphones or other electronic devices (including, for example, Android Marketplace or the Apple Store), social media webpage (including, for example, X, Instagram, LinkedIn), Google Lis
QuickBooks
ed in the Assigned Area, including Chowly, Inc.’s third-party delivery service aggregation software, and are available to provide services in your area, and (ii) implement and use QuickBooks accountin
TripAdvisor
d Marketplace or the Apple Store), social media webpage (including, for example, X, Instagram, LinkedIn), Google Listings, bulletin boards, or blogs (including, for example, Yelp, TripAdvisor) to prom
Yelp
Android Marketplace or the Apple Store), social media webpage (including, for example, X, Instagram, LinkedIn), Google Listings, bulletin boards, or blogs (including, for example, Yelp, TripAdvisor) t
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 6 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must use an accounting firm we approve to provide comprehensive accounting services for your Restaurant.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
Dickey’s has independent access to the accounting and cash receipts and sales and other information generated and stored in the Point-of Sale system, TIBS system, Smokestack sales reporting system and Spark Online Ordering system.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Except for the products and services described above that are provided by our affiliates, Spark, Wycliff, and Wycliff Douglas Provisions, neither we nor any of our affiliates are currently approved suppliers of any required products or services.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
The Pit Owners Association (the “POA”) is an independent franchisee association that advises Dickey’s on the creation and implementation of policies and brand standards that impact the operation of Dickey’s Restaurants.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
The list of approved vendors may be modified by Dickey’s from time to time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
During the 2024 fiscal year, Dickey’s received no revenue or other material consideration from required purchases or leases by Dickey’s franchisees.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Certain approved suppliers currently, or may in the future, pay to Dickey’s (or an affiliate) compensation or otherwise credit the account of Dickey’s (or an affiliate) in the form of sales incentives or rebates based on the purchases you may make from such suppliers.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
Any charges incurred by Dickey’s in connection with the testing and inspection of the proposed supplier’s or vendor’s offering must be paid by the franchisee requesting such approval.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
You may request that Dickey’s approve alternative suppliers.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
assigning your lease and telephone number to Dickey’s or its designee at Dickey’s option
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Dickey’s shall seek to maintain the high standards of quality, appearance, and service of the System, and accordingly shall conduct, as it deems advisable, inspections of your Restaurant and evaluations of the products sold and services rendered therein,
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
Dickey’s has the right to revise the contents of the Manuals at any time.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
No site may be used for the location of your Restaurant unless it is first accepted by Dickey’s.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
You are strictly prohibited from developing, creating, generating, owning, licensing, leasing or otherwise utilizing any computer media or electronic media, including, the Internet, World Wide Web, mobile apps appearing on smartphones or other electronic devices (including, for example, Android Marketplace or the…
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesFranchise agreement
Dickey’s may, in its sole discretion, require you to participate in certain local or regional advertising cooperatives organized and approved by Dickey’s and composed of certain other franchisees located in the geographic area in which you are located as defined in a cooperative advertising agreement.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase your barbecue sauce (batch and prepackaged), barbecue seasonings, salad dressings, condiments, pre-made salads, side dishes, bread, produce, proteins, spices, packaging and other ingredients for proprietary recipes from approved suppliers.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase or lease all of your equipment, including barbecue pits and pellets, under any specifications prescribed in the Manuals.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must use an approved supplier for credit card and gift card processing.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
These payments are electronically drafted from your account by ACH transfer based upon your statement certifying Net Sales for the Sales Period.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
You will be required to purchase and carry a minimum carrying inventory of gift cards from Dickey’s pursuant to such program.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall also employ, in addition to the Owner/Operator, at least two (2) managers per Restaurant who are certified by Dickey’s to carry out the day-to-day management and supervision of each such Restaurant.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You will purchase and require your employees to wear the current standard attire uniforms as may be established and approved by Dickey’s from time to time.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
Dickey’s currently requires that its franchisees use the Spark Point-of-Sale system (including such add-on consoles as Dickey’s may require).
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
Dickey’s may retrieve from your point of sale system and other technology any and all information we consider necessary, desirable or appropriate.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
At Dickey’s discretion, such additional training (including on-site remedial training), will be mandatory for such individuals and other Restaurant personnel as required by Dickey’s.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Franchise agreement
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?Item 11
Who buys here
The buyer at this brand
The decision-maker a vendor sells to at this scale, and the gaps they’re paid to close, derived from our data by segment and unit count, not a guess.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
- 41.9% of quick service brands mandate no POS system, leaving a massive blind spot in your target list.By instantly identifying the 452 brands with no POS mandate, you replace weeks of manual FDD research and focus your pipeline on high-fit displacement targets, cutting customer acquisition cost by over 60%.
- 82.3% of brands mandate no accounting system, signaling a wide-open market for tech vendors.FranCloud surfaces the 888 brands without an accounting mandate so your team can prioritize outreach before competitors even know they exist, turning a manual research cost center into a predictable revenue engine.
- Only 17 out of 1,079 quick service brands mandate a CRM, yet unit counts and AUVs prove these are high-value accounts.Instead of spending 40+ hours manually combing FDDs to find CRM-needy brands, FranCloud delivers the 17 mandate-holders and their financials in one query, letting your team close deals 10x faster.
The vendor opportunity at Dickey's Barbecue Pit
Dickey's Barbecue Pit operates 386 total units, 377 of which are franchised and 9 company-owned. The system is concentrated in Texas (69 units), California (29), Colorado (20), Arizona (18), and Louisiana (12), with a total footprint spanning multiple states. Year-over-year unit growth declined by 17.865%, signaling a contracting but still substantial addressable market for software vendors. The franchise has no multi-unit operators—all 257 mapped franchisees run a single location—which means any technology sale must align with a centralized, HQ-driven decision process rather than multi-unit franchisee influence.
Who controls software purchasing
Technology purchasing authority sits squarely at the corporate level. The 2025 FDD lists Laura Rea Dickey as Chief Executive Officer, with Roland R. Dickey serving as Director and Chairman, and Roland R. Dickey, Jr. as Director, Secretary, and Treasurer. Additional directors include Cullen Dickey and Maurine Dickey. This tight family governance structure means software vendors must engage directly with HQ leadership. There is no parent company; Dickey's appears independently owned, so no external corporate overlord influences tech procurement.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2025 FDD mandates four specific technology systems. Dickey's requires franchisees to use its then-current mandatory point of sale system—a proprietary solution controlled by the franchisor. Chowly is mandated for third-party delivery integration, QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. handles accounting, and TIBS rounds out the required stack. These mandates leave little room for franchisee-level software choice, but they also create clear replacement or integration opportunities for vendors who can demonstrate superior value at the HQ level.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Procurement details are not disclosed in the provided FDD extract, so vendors should clarify whether Dickey's uses a designated supplier model, approved supplier list, or open purchasing. The franchise agreement runs for an initial term of 20 years. Renewal is possible for an additional 10 years if the franchisee is not in default, pays a $15,000 renewal fee, signs the then-current Franchise Agreement (which may contain materially different terms), and meets performance thresholds including being above the 50th percentile in net sales and customer complaint ratios. These renewal events, combined with the recent unit contraction, may create windows for HQ to reassess its technology stack.
How to read the Dickey's FDD
The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for understanding Dickey's operational mandates, fee structure, and contractual obligations. The embedded viewer below provides the full text. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11 (franchisor's assistance, advertising, computer systems, and training) where the mandated tech stack is detailed, and Item 17 (renewal, termination, transfer, and dispute resolution) which outlines the renewal conditions and timing. Review these sections to align your pitch with the franchisor's stated requirements and contract cycles. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Dickey's Barbecue Pit, answered from the filing
CEO Laura Rea Dickey leads operations, with board oversight from Roland R. Dickey (Chairman) and other family directors. Technology mandates flow from this central leadership group.
The 2025 FDD mandates Dickey's then-current proprietary point of sale system, Chowly for third-party delivery integration, QuickBooks by Intuit for accounting, and TIBS.
386 total units as of the 2025 FDD, with 377 franchised and 9 company-owned. The system has no multi-unit operators; all 257 mapped franchisees run a single location.
The 2025 FDD does not disclose a specific procurement model in the provided extract. Vendors should inquire directly about designated or approved supplier requirements.
Franchise agreements run 20 years, with 10-year renewals requiring a $15,000 fee and adoption of the then-current agreement. Renewal cycles and a -17.9% unit decline may trigger tech re-evaluations.
The 2025 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below for the full document text and exhibits.
Source
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
677 operators run 677 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit677
Top states by locations
| TX | 69 |
|---|---|
| CA | 29 |
| CO | 20 |
| AZ | 18 |
| LA | 12 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Dickey's Barbecue Pit
unknown of dickey s capital group.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.