Dickey’s CEO named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year

Roland Dickey, Jr., CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, has been named the 2015 EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the family business category for the Southwest region.

The selection puts him in contention for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year National Award, an honor previously bestowed on such business icons as Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks.

Among the other contenders is the CEO of another Dallas-area restaurant company, Rave Restaurant Group, the parent of Pie Five and Pizza Inn. CEO Randy Gier was the Entrepreneur of the Year for the Southwest in the hospitality category.

The Entrepreneur of the Year National Award will be announced in November.

Dickey took over day-to-day operations in 2006 of the company his grandfather started in the 1940s. Since assuming control, the younger Dickey has put Dickey’s on a fast growth track through franchising.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

TGI Fridays' would-have-been buyer gets a harsh lesson

The Bottom Line: Hostmore, the U.K. franchisee that has backed off its purchase of the casual-dining chain, cannot sell its restaurants for their debt. Welcome to the modern market for restaurant mergers and acquisitions.

Emerging Brands

How Mr. Pickle's is playing the value game with sandwich sizes

The California-born chain known for Dutch Crunch rolls is borrowing a page from Goldilocks and rolling out a mid-sized sandwich that gives guests a more-profitable reason to visit.

Financing

Two companies learn the hard way that running restaurants is difficult

The Bottom Line: Red Lobster and Topgolf were both acquired by companies outside the restaurant industry. Those companies have learned just how competitive the business is.

Trending

More from our partners