Dickey's Barbecue Pit Franchisees Across The Country Doing Their Part

The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have been felt by restaurants throughout the country. Stay-at-home orders and closed dining areas have left many operators reeling. But leave it to the franchise community to find a silver lining during this crisis.

Franchisees with Dickey's Barbecue Pit are supporting their local communities in a number of ways. Many of the brand's franchisees have stepped up to feed first responders and essential workers, while others have made donations to those in need. Here's a look at what a number of these franchisees are doing to make a difference in the communities where they operate:

• Dickey's operator Josh Wise in Newark, Ohio, donated 6,000 pulled pork sandwiches to his local first responders after he partnered with local businesses looking ways to give back. The efforts of Josh and other Dickey's franchisees are inspiring a new wave of donations from guests who are calling in with donations and requesting food drops at their nearby hospitals, police stations, and fire stations.
• Dickey's Rancho Mirage franchisee Lisa Weaver donated lunch to the California Highway Patrol and in-turn they gave the small business owner a $1,000 donation. With those funds and the help of the charitable citizen donations made by others in her area, Weaver is continuing to feed community grocery store employees, 911 dispatchers, police officers, firefighters, and medical staff.
• Dickey's Florida operators John Lockett and Wendy Williams partnered together to feed frontline responders in their area to show appreciation to the gulf coast regional medical staff. Their mission is to feed 10,000 frontline responders and together they have already fed more than 3,000 medical staff employees.
• Dickey's operator Tom Eggerud in Eagan, Minnesota, gave thanks to his neighborhood by surprising local residents with free hot meals. Tom and his team have honored families keeping others safe by sheltering at home with slow-smoked favorites and comfort food from his location. In addition, Eggerud and his family are donating free meals to their local hospitals, fire departments, and police stations.
• Dallas Dickey's operator Jobin Kuruvilla donated more than 200 meals to the medical care employees working at Mansfield Methodist Hospital and Arlington Memorial Hospital in late April to show thanks for their ongoing efforts to protect the community.
• Earlier this month, Dickey's Phoenix area locations partnered together to give more than 100,000 free pulled pork sandwiches to hundreds of local essential businesses such as pharmacies, independent doctors' offices, and grocery chains like Costco and Kroger.