Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. CEO Laura Rea Dickeyannounced today that the world’s largest barbecue concept has signed a franchise agreement with operators Anand Desai and Sharmistha Ghosh to bring the brand’s Legit. Texas. Barbecue. to Toronto. With this addition, Dickey’s Barbecue continues to move Texas Style BBQ into the international cuisine category. 

This announcement comes on the heels of Dickey’s recent agreement to open its first Canada location in Alberta. Toronto’s first Dickey’s is slated to open this summer, bringing Texas Style BBQ further across the northern border. 

Anand Desai, a 15-year veteran in the governance, risk and control space, was driven towards the restaurant business by his passion to serve the members of his local community. Anand is joined by his partner, Sharmistha Ghosh, who brings a plethora of experience managing and running a successful restaurant in Toronto. Currently, Sharmistha works for a local brand in the city, where she is responsible for day-to-day operations and serves as a franchise coordinator. The duo credits their decision to partner with Dickey’s to the tremendous support system offered during the initial phases of franchise operations along with the brand’s proven success with international franchising. 

“We’re excited to partner with Anand and Sharmistha to help grow our presence in Canada,” Laura Rea Dickey says. “Toronto has an amazing dining scene, but it lacks a true, authentic barbecue experience, which we can’t wait to provide. It’s always exciting to debut our Legit. Texas. Barbecue. in a new community, but it’s particularly exciting when our brand crosses borders. We look forward to introducing our tastes of Texas to Toronto and more Canadians across the country.”