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D ickey's Barbecue Pit grew through- out the 1980s by converting shuttered restaurants into barbe- cue joints. Today, its real estate strategy continues to evolve as the economy improves. "Our ideal site will always be a second generation," explains Trinity Hall, vice president of construction, "but as the economy picks up, they are getting few and far between. So we've shifted our mindset to a vanilla shell or a retail conversion." This newer approach comes with a trade-off, of course. It now costs more to build a Dickey's, but the "hiccups" during construction tend to be fewer because "we know what we are getting," Hall says, adding that vanilla shells also trim construction times. Permits in hand, a franchisee can open a Dickey's, which typically run from 1,600 to 2,200 square feet, in about 45 days. A low franchise fee ($15,000) and the cost to build (roughly $140,000) help drive growth. But an effective Dickey's site strategy, construction process and vendor THE FAST LANE Standard, complex or custom designs — Accurex is your single source for commercial kitchen ventilation, with complete, perfectly matched, effcient systems. Kitchen hOODS High-performance and heat/condensate models, with a variety of air supply plenums and industry-leading grease fltration. exhauSt fanS Industry's best rooftop, sidewall, inline, utility. maKe-up air unitS Fresh air with heat/cool, variable-volume and control options. enerGY manaGement cOntrOLS Constant or advanced variable volume control systems. fire SuppreSSiOn SYStemS Factory pre-piped with coordinated install. utiLitY DiStributiOn SYStemS Single-point access for gas, electricity, water. pOLLutiOn cOntrOL unitS Offering exceptional grease and odor control. pacKaGeD rOOftOp unitS Excellent temperature control. All products carry industry certifcations from UL, ULc, AMCA and ETL as they apply. Contact us for a cost-effective commercial kitchen ventilation system or for detailed information on any of our products. A full course of kitchen ventilation systems. A Greenheck Company 800.333.1400 • www.accurex.com 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 8 7 8 DICKEY'S BARBECUE PIT HQ: Dallas Concept: QSR barbecue Technomic Fast 50 Rank: 20 2013 units/growth rate: 370 (8 company-owned)/30 percent 2014 units (projected): 152 500 Project management software: No Average unit size: 1,600 to 2,200 square feet Average build-out: 45 days Dickey's Barbecue Pit targets second- generation locations, but with the economy improving, the chain's real estate strategy has evolved to include vanilla shells or retail conversion.