Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants vs Western Sizzlin Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants vs Western Sizzlin including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants Franchise
Western Sizzlin Franchise
Investment $71,993 - $323,789$811,000 - $2,300,000
Franchise Fee $20,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 5%3%
Advertising Fee 4%-
Year Founded 19411962
Year Franchised 19941965
Term Of Agreement 20 years20 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years20 years
Renewal Fee $10,000-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants Franchise
Western Sizzlin Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options

 
Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants Franchise
Western Sizzlin Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/YesNo/No
Start-up Costs No/YesNo/No
Equipment No/YesNo/No
Inventory No/YesNo/No
Receivables No/YesNo/No
Payroll No/YesNo/No

Training & Support

 
Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants Franchise
Western Sizzlin Franchise
Training We provide a comprehensive training program at Barbecue University, an intensive four-week training program that teaches the skills needed to open and operate a Dickey's. Barbecue University trainees will spend two weeks in the classroom and two weeks in our training restaurants. In the classroom, trainees will work through the Dickey's Operations Manual and learn from our trainers. Classes consist of lectures, reading, homework assignments, group activities, demonstrations, quizzes and a final exam. Yep, it's class. Spending two weeks in our training stores is an integral part of training as you practice perfecting Dickey's gold standards and demonstrate that you are ready, willing and able to run a Dickey's Barbecue Pit. In addition to the field training sessions, we also provide Dickey's e-Learning, which are online training courses (e.g., Operations, Food Safety, Guest Service and Management training) for our new and existing franchisee community. On-The-Job Training: 90 hours Classroom Training: 50 hours -
Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet PlatformNewsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
Marketing Our marketing department operates as an in-house advertising agency. We have a creative team, social media, public relations, community marketing, web content, and media buyers on-site to optimize the brand experience at every touch point. Our in-house team has extensive knowledge of the fast casual industry while taking into account the unique culture of barbecue when creating communications. Our franchisees appreciate having our in-house team as brand stewards for Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants and experts in brand marketing efforts. Having in-house capabilities allows us greater flexibility and the ability to turn projects around quickly with cost efficiencies, and most importantly, high-level creative deliverables that produce marketing results. *Advertising agency support *Local field marketing support *Individual marketing/strategic planning Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/appAd slicks
Operations Nearly 25% of Dickey's Barbecue Franchisees Own Multi-Units 20% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 40

Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators)


Expansion Plans

 
Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants Franchise
Western Sizzlin Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion NoNo
International Expansion YesNo

Company Overviews

About Dickey's Barbecue Pit Restaurants

Dickey's Barbecue was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey in a one-room building at the intersection of Knox and Central Expressway just north of downtown Dallas. The original store had sawdust on the floors and sold beef brisket, ham and ribs. If you wanted a vegetable, you could have potato chips or barbecue beans, or both. Add a bottle of soda, milk or beer and that was the entire menu. This changed when his two sons, Roland and T.D., Jr. took over the business in 1967. They began to modernize the restaurants and add more meats and vegetables to the menu, which now boasts up to eight meats and eighteen fresh and homemade vegetables. Dickey's Barbecue offers low start-up costs, multiple revenue streams and an expert support team for franchise owners. We also have an extensive training program at Barbecue University, where we drill down on our approach to quality, authentic barbecue and guest focus. In addition, our construction and real estate departments are here to assist franchise owners in site selection, lease negotiation, design, permitting, and equipment procurement. Top 10 reasons to Invest in Your Own Dickey's Barbecue Pit. *Established brand *Low franchise fee *Site location assistance *Thorough training in management, operations & marketing *Protected territories *High purchasing power to avoid over-paying for goods *Quality products in our restaurants *Six revenue streams *Ongoing support from our home office *Multi-unit development deals available As a nationally established brand, Dickey's Barbecue offers years of restaurant knowledge and a team of experts to assist franchise owners through the opening experience.

Veteran Incentives  25% off franchise fee

About Western Sizzlin

WesterN SizzliN serves only the finest steaks. In the cooking process, our steaks are specially seasoned with Gold Dust, a WesterN SizzliN proprietary recipe. The combination of the Pascarellas original cooking technique and one-of-a-kind seasoning brought Nick and his wife Nora, an impeccable reputation for serving the most succulent tasting steak around. As one of our franchisees says, "We've got a special juicy flavor that only WesterN SizzliN has!" But don't just take our word for it, ask anyone who has ever had one, and they'll tell you about it. Nick's concept was just too good to keep to himself. In 1966 he responded to requests and began selling franchises nationally. By 1988, Nick's "steakhouse" had grown into a national chain with yearly sales of nearly half a billion dollars!