Durham Region’s newest barbecue restaurant officially opened for business – and sold out on its first day.
Situated at 1639 Durham Region Highway 2 in Courtice, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit welcomed patrons from the local community on March 15. Anticipation ran high, with doors opening at 11a.m. And all inventory was sold out by 7 p.m. Throughout the day, lines stretched either to or out the door.
The restaurant is part of a Texas-based fast-food chain of barbecue restaurants founded in 1941. The company has over 550 locations worldwide, with five in Ontario. That number is set to rise to more than 20 as more locations open across the GTA, according to a press release from the company.
Serving up “Legit Texas Barbecue” like their slogan suggests, the restaurant offers various meats from brisket and pulled pork to chicken and ribs – all of which are halal. They also serve a wide range of sides, from mac and cheese to barbecue beans or onion “tanglers,” which are thin and crispy onion rings.
Franchisee Neera Sikdar, who resides in Bowmanville, said, “we don’t have anything like this restaurant near here,” and is looking forward to serving the Courtice community.
She said she spent three and a half weeks in Dallas, Texas learning how to operate the business. “They made us go to their original store,” she said, and explained that she learned how to slice, smoke, and prepare the meat there.
The company ships the raw meat to the store, where it is prepared and smoked or grilled in house.
Local resident, Kirsten, said she was very excited about the restaurant opening. “We love barbecue, and we haven’t seen [a restaurant] close by.” She also said she recommends the restaurant, saying, “it was awesome. It was very good.”