Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is continuing its expansion throughout the state of Florida with a well-known member of the Tampa community, Demar Dotson. Currently a professional football player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dotson will open his Dickey’s Barbecue Pit location in in the Tampa area in late 2017.

Along with his passion for football, Dotson has always had a passion for slow-smoked barbecue. Upon deciding to open his own franchise, Dotson determined Dickey’s was the perfect fit for him. “I wanted to open a restaurant where I could fulfill my passion while also feeding my community pit-smoked barbecue,” says Dotson.

After opening his initial location in Tampa, Dotson plans to open more locations throughout the southern states, primarily in his home state of Louisiana. In his retirement, Dotson plans to run the day-to-day operations of his stores and be the face of his community’s Dickey’s Barbecue Pit.

“Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is proud to have Demar Dotson join our family and open his first Dickey’s location in Florida,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. “Dickey’s is rapidly expanding nationwide and we are constantly looking for new Owner/Operators such as Dotson who have a passion for delicious, pit-smoked barbecue.”