Combo Kitchen Partners with Barbecue Restaurant Brand Dickey’s Barbecue Pit for Ghost Kitchen Expansion!

MIAMI — Barbecue lovers nationwide, prepare for a groundbreaking advancement in the ghost kitchen industry. The world’s largest barbecue chain, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, has partnered with Combo Kitchen to promote nationwide expansion of their brand through ghost kitchens. Since 1941, Dickey’s has been serving up delicious, fall-off-the-bone barbecue, utilizing the same recipes they perfected over 80 years ago. Known for Texas-style hickory slow smoked meats and a family-focused reputation, Dickey’s has grown to become the leader in barbecue and an inspiration for fast-casual restaurants worldwide. The partnership creates an opportunity for experienced professionals to operate a Dickey’s of their own utilizing Combo Kitchen’s ghost kitchen franchise model, all while bringing the sweet and savory flavors of Texas barbecue to new neighborhoods across the country. The partnership also includes both Wing Boss and Big Deal Burgers, family brands of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit.

Combo Kitchen allows restaurant owners and entrepreneurs to select from a variety of established brands for placement in new or existing restaurants, offered for takeout and delivery only. Restaurant owners can take advantage of their kitchen space by adding established brands to their restaurants as ghost kitchens. Operating entirely behind the scenes and without disruption of their typical operations, this allows them to instantly increase their restaurant’s revenue. Investors without an existing restaurant can open a ghost kitchen from scratch featuring a variety of Combo Kitchen’s network brands.

“Partnering with Dickey’s provides our franchisees with the opportunity to profit off of a proven and established brand that customers instantly recognize, unlike most ordinary ghost kitchens offering virtual brands” says Combo Kitchen CEO Hossein Kasmai, “With the need for brand recognition campaigns essentially eradicated, offering a brand like Dickey’s as a virtual concept gives restaurant owners or investors the key ingredient to operating a successful ghost kitchen.”

The market for food delivery has expanded rapidly in recent years, accentuated by the effects of COVID-19 on America’s dining habits. Before the pandemic, the industry for ghost kitchens (A.K.A. dark kitchens, cloud kitchens, or virtual kitchens) was already flourishing, due largely in part to the convenience they provide to younger, more technology-savvy generations. In 2020, the trend that was ignited by the millennial mindset exploded into a new cultural norm due to government mandated shutdowns and the need for societal adjustments mid-pandemic. The global ghost kitchen industry is estimated to reach $1 trillion by 2030.

“Combo Kitchen is a unique franchising opportunity which allows us flexibility to enter new markets at a much lower build cost for operators,” said Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group “Interest among new and existing franchisees combined with utilizing the convenience provided by Combo Kitchen, Dickey’s can capitalize on the rapidly growing delivery market and add new ways to serve our guests Texas-style barbecue.”

Combo Kitchen, recognized as one of the fastest-growing franchises and ghost kitchen concepts, has expanded exponentially to many states across the US. Dickey’s Barbecue Pit boasts over 550 locations, earning it the title of the World’s Largest Barbecue Chain. With this partnership, Combo Kitchen expects to expand Dickey’s by at least 100 more locations within the next year.