Dickey’s Barbecue Pit shuttered a net of 85 U.S. franchised locations during its fiscal 2024, which represented nearly 20 percent of its franchise footprint at the start of the year.

The brand finished its fiscal year, ending May, with 357 franchised restaurants nationwide. It opened 12 franchised restaurants, but closed 97 of them.

Dickey’s had 562 U.S. franchised locations at the start of fiscal 2018, according to the FDD, but the numbers have dropped every year since then. The chain shuttered a net of 205 U.S. franchised restaurants between the start of fiscal 2018 and end of fiscal 2024.

Fiscal Year	U.S. Franchise Units at Beginning of Fiscal Year	U.S. Franchise Openings	U.S. Franchise Closures	U.S. Franchise Stores Acquired by Company	U.S. Franchise Units at End of Fiscal Year
2018	562	72	110	0	524
2019	524	58	83	1	498
2020	498	38	72	1	463
2021	463	38	29	0	472
2022	472	15	20	2	465
2023	465	27	50	0	442
2024	442	12	97	0	357

As of May 31, the barbecue concept had 19 franchise agreements signed but not opened yet, according to its FDD. It projected just four franchise openings for fiscal 2025 (Louisiana, Nebraska, North Carolina, and Texas).

Dickey’s also has nine corporate restaurants in Oklahoma and Texas and 19 international locations, meaning it had 385 total units systemwide in May.

In September, a four-unit Dickey’s franchisee in Michigan declared bankruptcy. The operator claimed the franchisor asked for “extreme and unreasonable demands,” which led to the company’s financial downfall.

Jeff Gruber, SVP of franchise relations at Dickey’s, said when the franchisee expressed challenges a year and a half ago, the company provided substantial operational and corporate support to stabilize the franchise. He noted the Brand Champion program, which allows franchisees to receive a 1 percent royalty rebate monthly, and a capital improvement reinvestment program that helps upgrade restaurants with new signage, interior refreshes, technology, and local advertising.