Dickey’s Barbecue Pit to open five new locations in Arkansas

Dallas-based Dickey’s Barbecue plans to expand its presence in Arkansas within the next two years, the company announced on Thursday.

The fast-casual chain will add five new restaurants in Bentonville, Fayetteville, Little Rock, Rogers and Searcy. Dickey’s currently has two locations in Arkansas – one in Lowell and another in Siloam Springs.

“We are starting to see an uptick in interest in Arkansas and are thrilled with the excitement surrounding our brand,” said Roland Dickey, Jr., president of the company. “We have very energized franchise owners in Arkansas and we know they are going to make the Dickey’s brand grow and prosper in the state.”

The Rogers and Fayetteville restaurants should open this year, according to Dickey’s spokeswoman Jami Zimmerman.

Both locations will be owned by Jared Thompson who owns the Dickey’s restaurant in Lowell. Thompson is also the franchise owner of the location planned in Bentonville.

The Rogers restaurant will be located off of Promenade Boulevard. Zimmerman said specific location information for the other Northwest Arkansas restaurants is not yet available.

Since opening its first restaurant in 1941, Dickey’s has expanded to 270 locations in 43 states, 100 of which were opened in 2012. The company plans to add another 100 restaurants in 2013.