Dickey's Barbecue Pit dishes out smoked meats, tasty sides in Holland Township

Cassandra Lybrink, The Holland Sentinel
·2 min read

HOLLAND TWP. — After a weekend of soft hours, Holland Township's much-anticipated Dickey's Barbecue Pit has opened for business.

"It was a decent weekend," said franchisee Krage Fox. "I think we have a really good crew. They're very passionate, and they've taken a lot of ownership. We've got really interesting, personal backgrounds in customer service. It's exciting to see that enthusiasm."

More: Dickey's Barbecue Pit to open Holland location

The restaurant is tucked into a portion of the former Pet Supplies Plus at 12579 Felch St. The storefront has been split in two, with one half reopening as Wild Bill's Tobacco in 2021.

Dickey's is a counter-service restaurant dishing out authentic Texas barbecue, with pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, wings, giant baked potatoes, corn muffins, chili, mac and cheese and potato salad.
Dickey's is a counter-service restaurant dishing out authentic Texas barbecue, with pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, wings, giant baked potatoes, corn muffins, chili, mac and cheese and potato salad.

Fox also owns Dickey's locations in Kalamazoo, Jenison and Rockford. More are planned in the Grand Rapids area.

"I think it's a fun environment," he said. "We don't have full hours decided right now, because each community is different. Jenison and Rockford close at 8 p.m., because nobody really tends to wander after that. I'm trying to get a feeling of what the pulse is here."

Dickey's is a counter-service restaurant dishing out authentic Texas barbecue, with pulled pork sandwiches, ribs, wings, giant baked potatoes, corn muffins, chili, mac and cheese and potato salad.

"The thing about Texas barbecue is that it's appealing to everybody," Fox told The Sentinel in January. "It seems to be the most universal type of barbecue that everyone can agree on.

After a weekend of soft hours, Holland Township's much-anticipated Dickey's Barbecue Pit has opened for business.
After a weekend of soft hours, Holland Township's much-anticipated Dickey's Barbecue Pit has opened for business.

"Years ago, when I lived down in Florida, my parents would come down and visit and we'd go out for barbecue. That's something you didn't have a lot of exposure to in Michigan back in the '90s. I always thought it would be an interesting thing to bring back up here."

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Fox is continuing to hire in Holland, with competitive wages and tips.

"I want to hire people who want to be passionate about something," he said. "It seems like nobody wants to work in restaurants anymore, and I don't get it."

Dickey's Barbecue Pit is tucked into a portion of the former Pet Supplies Plus at 12579 Felch St.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit is tucked into a portion of the former Pet Supplies Plus at 12579 Felch St.

Even though Dickey's is a national brand, Fox is focused on community involvement.

"I grew up here in West Michigan," he said. "I went to school here, my children go to school here. For us, it's about being family-oriented and family-focused."

As for menu recommendations, it's hard to choose.

"Our smoked meats are our bread and butter, but we get a lot of compliments on our mac and cheese, too," Fox said. "I'd say it's second only to my mom's."

— Contact reporter Cassandra Lybrink at cassandra.lybrink@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on Instagram @BizHolland.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Dickey's Barbecue Pit opens location in Holland Township