Barbecue chain Dickey’s Barbecue Pit coming to Post Falls
The town of Post Falls is rapidly increasing in population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Post Falls ranks among the top five cities in Idaho and the top 100 in the nation for population growth rate. In response to this, many new businesses have been incorporated into the downtown Post Falls area in recent years.
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, the fastest-growing barbecue chain in the nation, will be the latest addition to the food scene in Post Falls. The restaurant is set to open in the second or third week of August and is located on North Spokane Street in the old Filling Station building.
Owner Chris Perkins is a Post Falls resident who, for nearly two years, has had his sights on opening a location “in my own back yard.” Perkins coaches baseball at Post Falls High School and serves as president of the Post Falls Little League.
Since 2023, Perkins has owned the North Division restaurant as well as the Coeur d’Alene location and hopes to open more in the near future. He listed Kellogg, Lewiston and Sandpoint as potential candidates.
Dickey’s was founded by Travis Dickey in 1941 in Dallas, Texas. Since then, the company has opened over 600 locations nationwide, serving authentic Texas barbecue in 44 different states. On top of this, Dickey’s has opened several international locations, including in Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, Egypt, Botswana, Mexico, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Perkins praised the company’s mission, emphasizing the support that corporate provides for each individual location.
“They want to make sure that we are successful,” Perkins said. “They’ve given us all the tools and the resources to make sure we do it the right way and the Dickey’s way.”
Perkins and his wife, Melissa, took over the Spokane Street location in November, but had months of tireless work cut out for them. They had to completely remodel the interior of the restaurant, replacing every appliance and patching holes in the walls.
“None of their stuff worked,” Perkins said. “I’ve had to replace everything.”
Perkins expects big things from this store, seeking to bring a “new taste into Post Falls.”
Perkins credits his wife as the reason for his success.
“She’s been the backbone of this whole thing. She’s put a lot of time into this place,” Perkins said. “Her and my four kids, they’re 100% supportive behind me and they love our community.”
The Perkins family is passionate about barbecue and aims to bring an “old backyard family feel.” Perkins says guests should expect to get the “feel of a family sitting around a picnic.”
“I think the biggest thing is if you can put your passion and your expertise behind barbecue, people love it,” Perkins said. “I’m the type of person who loves to make the community happy. I love the community coming together and being excited.”
According to Perkins, the best way for the restaurant to grow is to make customers want to come back.
“Without customers, you can’t really grow as a business, and you don’t make it. We need returners; we need customers to return,” Perkins said. “That’s my biggest thing is making sure that customers come back.”
Though the restaurant’s grand opening is scheduled for mid-August, Perkins and his wife are currently the only two employees of this location. He plans to post an ad and schedule interviews with potential candidates for both managerial positions and entry level positions.
Perkins seeks to employ seven to 10 people at this location and says three or four of them will work the grand opening.
“I want people to not take this as a place where I have to go to work,” Perkins said. “I’m the type of person that makes it to where you want to come to work. Here we make people feel that they love their job and that’s important.”
Every day, Perkins is at one of his locations because he wants to show his employees that he is a hands-on owner who isn’t afraid to “get dirty with the employees.”
Dickey’s is best known for their brisket and pulled pork. The restaurant will be open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.