LITTLETON, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 10, 2025--
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, the world’s largest barbecue concept, is preparing to open a new restaurant at 8176 S Wadsworth Blvd, Suite F, Littleton, CO 80128, bringing Legit. Texas. Barbecue.™ to even more families in Colorado.
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The restaurant will be owned and operated by longtime Dickey’s franchisee Bobby Rusnak, who has been serving Colorado communities for years. Rusnak shared his excitement, saying, “Colorado loves great barbecue, and I am thrilled to bring another Dickey’s Barbecue Pit to Littleton. Our guests can always count on us for authentic Texas style barbecue, friendly service, and the kind of comfort food that makes you feel at home.”
Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., emphasized how important franchisees like Rusnak are to the brand’s success. “Bobby has been a dedicated member of our Dickey’s family for many years, and we are proud to see him expand with this new store in Littleton. Our mission has always been to share the joy of barbecue with as many people as possible, and this opening is another step in fulfilling that promise.”
Rusnak echoed that mission by highlighting the guest experience. “When people come to Dickey’s, it is not just about the food, it is about the experience. We want families in Littleton to feel like they have found a second home.”
Roland Dickey Jr., CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group, celebrated the brand’s growth in Colorado. “We are thrilled to see the Dickey’s footprint continue to grow in Littleton under Bobby’s leadership. Family owned since 1941, Dickey’s has always believed in bringing people together over barbecue, and this new restaurant is a great example of how our franchisees make that vision possible.”
The Littleton location will feature all of Dickey’s favorites including slow smoked brisket, St. Louis style ribs, pulled pork, smoked turkey, and southern inspired sides like mac and cheese, fried okra, and barbecue beans. Guests will also be able to enjoy online ordering, curbside pickup, delivery, and full service catering.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit continues to share authentic Texas barbecue while creating community connections across the United States and beyond.
About Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.
Founded in 1941 by the Dickey family, Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. is the world’s largest barbecue concept and continues as a third-generation family-run business. For more than 80 years, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has served millions with its signature Legit. Texas. Barbecue. ™ Slow-smoked over hickory wood-burning pits, Dickey’s barbecued meats are paired with a variety of Southern sides. Committed to authentic barbecue, Dickey’s never takes shortcuts — because real barbecue can’t be rushed.
With more than 866 restaurants across eight concepts in the U.S. and several countries, Dickey’s Barbecue Franchise and Dickey’s Restaurant Brands continue to grow under the leadership of Roland Dickey Jr., CEO of Dickey’s Capital Group, and Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc.
Dickey’s has been recognized on Newsweek’s 2022 "America’s Favorite Restaurant Chains" list, Nation’s Restaurant News 2024 top fast-casual brands for value, and USA Today’s 2021 Readers’ Choice Awards. The brand has also ranked in the Top 20 of Fast Casual’s “Top 100 Movers and Shakers” for four of the past five years. Additional accolades include Entrepreneur’s Top 500 Franchise and Hospitality Technology’s Industry Heroes list. The brand has been featured by Fox News, Forbes, Franchise Times, The Wall Street Journal, and People Magazine.
For more information, visit www.dickeys.com. For franchise opportunities, visit www.dickeysfranchise.com.
New Dickey's Barbecue Location Coming Soon
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — World Cup fans in a growing number of U.S. cities won't have an issue finding a well-poured pint to go with their late-night match.
State leaders across the U.S. are signing off on extending bar and restaurant hours during the world’s most-watched sporting event. They want to help businesses and improve fan experiences, particularly for those who may have been priced out of tickets. Others see the move as a last-ditch effort to boost sales as expectations for a World Cup economic boon have dampened.
So far, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Washington — states either hosting World Cup matches or adjacent to the activity — have all approved various measures to extend hours for alcohol sales during the tournament. Similar proposals are being considered in New York and Massachusetts.
The changes mean that closing time won’t come until 4 a.m. in Philadelphia during the World Cup and America 250 celebrations. In Kansas City, some bars can stay open as late as 5 a.m.
Many of these changes are dependent on municipality approval, and no business would be required to extend business hours. But for the hospitality industry, already struggling under waning sales and inflation, the option to stay open later is welcomed.
Mark Prinzinger, owner of Lion Sports Bar in Philadelphia, described watching soccer with fans from all over the world as a “magical experience." Now that he has the option to keep his bar open two hours longer, he’s hired extra staff, streamlined the menus and planned late-night programming.
“People want to have a beer with other soccer fans and the great thing about the World Cup is that it brings people together from all over the world into one place to watch a sport that everybody loves,” he said.
Prinzinger and other bar, restaurant and nightlife venues in Pennsylvania will be allowed to move their closing times from 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. during the World Cup and the America 250 anniversary celebrations, between June 11 and July 20. Gov. Josh Shapiro approved the legislation by releasing a video showing him cracking open a beer, signing off the social media post with a cheeky warning to the City of Brotherly Love's reputation for getting rowdy: “Celebrate responsibly, Philly.”
With more hours available to drink, some critics have raised concerns about public safety and potential strain on law enforcement even as the effort has received bipartisan support from lawmakers.
In Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas initially stated that his city “doesn't need bars operating 23 hours” during the World Cup and joked, “Worry not, if you want to drink a ton, bars can open quite early.”
Yet bar owners bristle under such opposition, saying that most businesses prioritize training staff to prevent patrons from being overserved.
“Just because people are hanging out at the bar watching a soccer game doesn’t mean they’re getting blitzed,” Prinzinger said. “In fact, I would say it’s completely the opposite. I think people want to watch the game. People want to be engaged.”
Rhode Island Rep. Teresa Tanzi agreed.
“Not everybody that’s going to walk into a place is going to be chugging drinks and getting loaded,” Tanzi, a Democrat, said earlier this month on the House floor. “There are going to be families who are going to want a cheeseburger, an American cheeseburger, and a Coca-Cola."
Rhode Island, which is closer than Boston is to World Cup matches host Gillette Stadium, is weighing whether to extend alcohol sales to 3 a.m. and closing times to 4 a.m. Currently, last call in the smallest U.S. state is 1 a.m., with some exceptions for its capital city of Providence.
Even Lucas relented, eventually submitting a plan allowing Kansas City restaurants and bars to remain open until 3 a.m., and certain establishments to remain open until 5 a.m. if they submit a security plan to the police department. Currently, alcohol sales can generally be made between 6 a.m. through 1:30 a.m.
The extended hours aren't entirely a U.S. trend. Pubs in England and Wales will be able to stay open as late as 2 a.m. if the English or Scottish teams are playing in the knockout stages after the U.K. government relaxed its licensing rules.
In Scotland, which has its own semiautonomous government, local authorities can allow pubs to stay open until 30 minutes after matches end.
According to the World Cup schedule, a majority of games will be held from early afternoon through early evening. But a handful start later, with four games starting at midnight and eight games starting at 10 p.m. for those watching in the Eastern time zone.
Just how big of a demand there will be for late-night bites and drinks is somewhat unknown. In the U.S., consumer habits have shifted drastically ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, with more people choosing to go out earlier in the day and spending less overall, said David Henkes, senior principal at Technomic, a firm that monitors restaurant and food industry trends.
“It’s so hard to stay open late night or overnight just because it’s hard to find labor,” Henkes said. “I applaud the effort to give restaurants an opportunity to earn more revenue, but I’m not sure that there’s going to be significant enough demand for it to make sense for a lot of operators to do so.”
Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed from London.
AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup
Lion Sports Bar owner Mark Prinzinger poses behind the bar as fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans arrive to watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
Fans watch a Champion league soccer match between Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain at the Lion Sports Bar, Saturday, May 30, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Tassanee Vejpongsa)
