McAllen is getting its first taste of Dickey's Barbecue Pit later this month, with the Dallas-based chain planting its new location not in a standalone building but inside the Cambria Hotel at 701 S. Ware Road. The opening is set for Tuesday, October 27, and it comes with a twist: depending on which report you read, this might not be a sit-down barbecue joint at all.
A Hotel-Based Debut With Convenience Front and Center
According to RGV Business Journal, the new Dickey's will operate through a digital-only model, with the location run by O'Reilly Hospitality Management LLC as its franchisee. The outlet reported the McAllen shop is designed for pickup, delivery or catering rather than functioning as a conventional standalone restaurant, with an opening window described as later this month. That framing lines up with coverage from Restaurant Magazine, which pinned the launch date to October 27 and said the location is providing direct online ordering, quick pickup and catering services.
Starting that Tuesday, customers will be able to place orders directly on dickeys.com or through the brand's official mobile app, per the same Restaurant Magazine report. Delivery and catering orders can also be placed through Uber Eats, DoorDash and ezCater, the outlet noted. The McAllen spot is slated to be open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to that report.
Dine-In or Not? The Sources Disagree
Not every source agrees on exactly how customers will get their food. While RGV Business Journal describes a digital-only setup focused on off-premise orders, Dickey's own location page for the McAllen address tells a different story, inviting customers to visit us for dine-in or order online for carryout, curbside, or delivery, per Dickey's.
What is consistent across the coverage is the menu. Restaurant Magazine reported the location offers signature slow-smoked brisket, pulled pork and classic homestyle side dishes, while Dickey's own site states that its meats are slow-smoked on-site daily by Certified Pitmasters. The original report from Voice of Alexandria likewise described a non-traditional, digital-forward model focused on convenience, offering Dickey's full menu including those same brisket, pulled pork and side offerings.
O'Reilly's Pitch to the Rio Grande Valley
Tim O'Reilly framed the opening as a way to reach a broad swath of the local community. He said the location is perfect for feeding families, businesses and events of all sizes, according to Restaurant Magazine. It's a notable bet on McAllen for a franchisee already operating the Cambria Hotel property where the restaurant sits.
Part of a Bigger Digital Push
The McAllen opening fits into a broader pattern for Dickey's, which has leaned hard into delivery-only and digital formats in recent years. Restaurant Dive reported that Dickey's has grown over the past two years through digital sales, and the chain has pursued host-kitchen and ghost-kitchen partnerships to expand its footprint without always opening traditional storefronts. In October 2021, the company aimed to open 25 host kitchen locations by the end of 2021, per Restaurant Dive, and it partnered with Combo Kitchen to open at least 100 ghost kitchen locations within a year.
That digital strategy has reportedly paid off elsewhere in the company's portfolio. Dickey's virtual brands Wing Boss and Big Deal Burger increased the number of locations they operated out of by 24% in the second quarter, with monthly sales increasing 315% from March to June, according to the same Restaurant Dive report. Host kitchens, the outlet explained, give restaurants with excess kitchen and storage capacity an opportunity to expand sales by hosting other restaurant brands — a model that mirrors the convenience-first approach described for the McAllen site.
The McAllen location is just one piece of a much larger expansion. Dickey's opened 46 new locations across 17 U.S. states and internationally in Canada and the Philippines between January and August of last year, and the company was on track to exceed 60 new openings by the end of that year, according to a report from Yahoo Finance. Founded in 1941 by the Dickey family, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. is described in that report as the world's largest barbecue concept. The chain has served millions of guests over 85 years, according to Voice of Alexandria's reporting on the McAllen opening, and Dickey's is based in Dallas.
