The 400th Dickey’s Barbecue Pit opened in Phoenix, Arizona, and the Dallas-based company now slow-smokin’ in 40 states across the country.

“Our goal has always been to share slow smoked Texas barbecue on a national scale,” says Roland Dickey Jr., president and CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc. “We still hand rub and slow smoke all meats just like my grandfather did in the first location in 1941, just on a larger scale. Our team is dedicated to quality and energized for continued growth—we will be at 500 locations by the first of 2015.”

Roland Dickey Sr., will be on-site at the grand opening of the Phoenix location on Friday, May 16.  He will be signing and giving guests copies of his cookbook, Mr. Dickey’s Barbecue Cookbook: Recipes for a True Texas Pitmaster. The book outlines the history of the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit brand as well as Dickey family recipes.

“The Dickey family along with franchise owners across the country appreciate the continued excitement and support from our guests,” Dickey says. “Our brand continues to grow because we have so many loyal Dickey’s Barbecue fans. It’s humbling to meet guests across the country who make us part of their family.”