Dickey's Barbecue Pit recently brought its signature hickory-smoked, Texas-style barbecue to a new franchise location in Lahore, Pakistan.
The new restaurant, which will feature short ribs, lamb shank and beef sausages, is the result of a partnership between Dickey's and Lahore-based A.J. Corporation, as reported by Fast Casual.
"Dickey's Barbecue Pit is proud of the work Mazhar Ziadi, our master partner in Pakistan, has done to drive the opening of our first location in Pakistan," Jim Perkins, EVP of international sales and support for Dickey's, said in a company press release.
"Under normal conditions, opening a first location in a distant land is based on commitment and teamwork," Perkins said. "Mazhar and his team forged forward under extreme COVID-19 conditions and opens our flagship store in Pakistan. I am proud of him, his team and Dickey's regional manager in Dubai, Mansoor Saeed, who made this available to the guests in Pakistan."
The A.J. Corporation acquired full franchising rights for Pakistan, and has plans to roll out 20 new locations over the next 10 years, Dickey's said.
"We have a love for barbecue because of its unique taste, and we are excited to introduce Pakistan to Dickey's Legit Texas Barbecue," Azam Bhatti, founder of the A.J. Corporation, said in the release.
The new restaurant in Lahore is Dickey's sixth international location. Its first overseas eateries opened in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 2018, the company said. A Dickey's franchise is expected to open this month in Cairo, Egypt.
The first Dickey's Barbecue Pit was opened in Dallas in 1941 by Travis Dickey and his wife Ollie, according to the company's website. The family business, still headquartered in Dallas, is currently run by Travis and Ollie's grandson, Roland Dickey Jr., CEO of parent company Dickey Capital Group, and his wife Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of the Dickey's Barbecue Restaurant business.
The company began selling franchises in 1994 and now has more than 500 Dickey's Barbecue Pit franchises in the U.S., the company said.