The Truth Behind the Smoke: Dickey’s Responds to False Claims and Legal Tactics
In the restaurant business, name recognition and reputation are essential for success. These qualities become particularly important when a successful company decides to expand by offering franchises to owner-operators.
The franchise business model has enabled many individuals to realize their dreams of owning and operating their own businesses. However, owning a franchise is not suitable for everyone. It requires a significant financial investment and demands long hours and hard work to achieve success. Unfortunately, some restaurants fail for various reasons. When this happens, franchisees often seek someone to blame, and it is frequently the parent company they hold responsible.
An example of this is Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, a long-established restaurant company founded in Dallas, Texas in 1941. When the company began selling franchise locations in the 1990s, it experienced both the advantages and challenges associated with the franchise business model. The vast majority of its more than 375 franchisees are successful.
Dickey’s works closely with all of its owner-operators, especially those who are struggling to help them identify problems and develop a plan to solve the issues. Those efforts are often successful, but not always, for various reasons. According to Dickey’s CEO Laura Rea Dickey, two of the main reasons owner-operators fail are because they are not engaged in their business and do not follow the Dickey’s playbook for success. “Based on our nearly 85 years of experience, these are two of the most important factors in creating and maintaining a profitable Dickey’s franchise.”
Recently, a small group of Dickey’s franchise owners — former and two current — came to share their grievances against the company on a Facebook page. They were soon joined by a law firm that has filed lawsuits against Dickey’s on their behalf.
A company spokesperson said Dickey’s is now being forced to defend itself, not only from “baseless lawsuits,” but also against what they describe as a “calculated smear campaign” designed to damage its reputation and livelihood. And the livelihood of its current franchisees.
“This is so concerning, and we are fighting this so hard because it is a direct assault on the facts, on the family, the brand, and all of franchisees, collectively,” said Laura Rea Dickey.
In most recent developments, court documents in a federal lawsuit filed in Illinois impacting Dickey’s and on behalf of a former Dickey’s employee, the case reveals allegations of legal misconduct by attorneys representing former franchisees.
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In the case, G Six Consulting LLC v. Stephen Mullett, the complaint points to what is called a “calculated campaign” and “witness tampering” allegedly orchestrated by the Miami-based law firm Zarco Einhorn Salkowski, P.A., to drive Dickey’s and its franchisees into bankruptcy through what is described as a coordinated scheme of racketeering, civil conspiracy, coercion, and media manipulation.
Zarco Einhorn Salkowski, P.A previously filed a lawsuit against former Dickey’s executive Stephen Mullett, on behalf of former franchisee G Six Consulting LLC. Attorneys for Mullet filed a motion to disqualify Zarco from the case.
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According to the motion, Zarco Einhorn Salkowski, P.A attorneys violated professional ethics by using one of their clients to contact Mullett — who is represented by counsel — to pressure him into cooperating with their side under threat of legal consequences.
According to transcripts submitted in the filing, Christopher Bruno, a former Dickey’s franchisee and current Zarco Einhorn Salkowski, P.A client, contacted Mullett on April 11, 2025. The call, recorded by Mullett, revealed that Bruno was acting at Zarco’s direction and urged Mullett to “work with us” and contact the law firm directly.
Mullett’s attorneys allege that this communication was a deliberate attempt to intimidate and coerce testimony that would benefit Zarco’s broader campaign against Dickey’s.
Since its founding in 1941, Dickey’s has developed a successful business process that it shares with its franchisees or owner-operators. The company created a rigorous training program for those new owners aimed at helping them to be successful.
They are required to attend the company’s Barbecue University, a comprehensive four-week program that combines classroom and hands-on training. The program is designed to equip the owner-operators with the skills needed to operate a successful Dickey’s restaurant, including operating procedures, menu preparation, and customer service.
Dickey’s partners with owner-operators to open their restaurants, offering ongoing education and guidance through their training team. Franchisees benefit from additional support via Barbecue University Online, which includes how-to videos, one-page guides, quizzes, and important information about new systems, promotions, and other essentials.
Additionally, the company provides training and videos through a daily morning all brand “charge call & webinar”, and all Dickey’s franchisees are requested to join.
The company’s ongoing support for its owner-operators has resulted in a vast number of successful franchises. Successful franchise owners Ric and Carla Wren stressed the importance of taking advantage of Dickey’s support and resources.
“Corporate has always been there when we’ve needed guidance or resources,” said Carla Wren. “Their support has allowed us to focus on growing our business and building relationships with our customers.”
Ric Wren agreed. “The resources they provide make a real difference,” he said. “Whether it’s operational advice or marketing strategies, we feel like part of a bigger family.”
Another successful owner-operator, Antoneta Espinoza, came from a corporate background. She found comfort in the comprehensive operational guidance and structure that Dickey’s provided. She credited it with making her transition from employee to entrepreneur smooth and empowering.
“The brand reputation is phenomenal,” she said. “The support system Dickey’s has in place is unmatched.”
According to Laura Dickey, the company stresses three important aspects for its franchisees to build successful restaurants.
“These are the single most important things that we say to everyone during the process — before and during their potentially becoming an owner-operator for us, and the entire time they are with us,” she said. “The most important is engagement. This cannot be a passive investment. The owner must also be the operator, and they agree to work a minimum of 40 hours per week in the business. The second most important thing is to follow the model. The final piece is to reinvest in their business, their community, and their staff.”
