Owners of Erie's Dickey's Barbecue Pit facing lawsuit. Will restaurant reopen?
Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, at 3716 Liberty St., has signs on the front door saying they are temporarily closed, leaving customers wondering if the restaurant will reopen.
Dickey's corporate office told the Erie Times-News in a statement that, "While the store is currently closed, we are working with a new potential owner/operator team to re-open the store very soon and continue to serve our legit Texas barbecue to the good folks of the Erie, PA community."
The chain's corporate office also stated that both Dickey’s and the landlord want to keep the current location and reopen the restaurant there in the future.
More: Is there such a thing as too much BBQ? Erie saucy meat scene is smokin' hot
How long has Dickey’s Barbecue Pit been in Erie?
Dickey’s first opened in the Liberty Center in 2016.
In May of 2023 the previous owner, Dale McBrier, retired and transferred ownership of the business to Eric and John Batie.
The business has been closed since after the middle of December.
John Batie said, "we're working on it," when asked about his plans toward reopening.
In the Court of Common Pleas of Erie County, Liberty Center landlord Levin Management filed a lawsuit on Dec. 13, 2023, against the Baties and their corporation, Sound Factory Systems Enterprises LLC, which owns the local Dickey's Barbecue Pit.
According to the court record, Sound Factory Enterprises LLC was sued by Levin Management for $20,504.47 for past due rent, common area maintenance, real estate tax and an attorney's commission of $3,075.67.
Sherry Bauer of Sherry Bauer Real Estate, the agent for the Liberty Center, told the Erie Times-News the space Dickey’s is leasing is being prepared to be remarketed, meaning the space will be going up for lease.
Bauer did not give a date for when the restaurant space would be listed, but she said it would be soon.
Does Dickey's owe employees wages?
The lawsuit might not be the only issue facing the Dickey's owners in Erie. One former employee claims she and other employees are owed multiple paychecks amounting to thousands of dollars.
Kristina Cesnick, the former assistant manager of Dickey's, said that from August until December she was paid in personal checks from the owners. It was in December that the checks stopped coming, she said.
Whenever she reached out to the owners inquiring about her pay, Cesnick, 36, said she was told, "we're working on it."
Cesnick, of Erie, told the Times-News that she and some other employees, who included managers and a head chef, decided to walk out Dec. 12. Since then they have had limited contact with the owners, but no word on when they will be paid again.
John Batie said "no comment" when asked about the employee payment situation.
Cesnick said employees have gone to corporate for assistance on the matter and corporate was helpful but said “they are unable to provide information on if the employees will be paid and it was a personal matter between employees and owners.”
Dickey's corporate office sent the following response:
"There is no corporate policy related to employees being paid from personal checking accounts. Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. is as disappointed in that aspect of the situation as the former employees."
Erie is not the only Dickey's that has dealt with employees not receiving wages. Employees from the Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Hesperia, California, have also spoken out about the same problem.
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at nsorensen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Dickey's chain aims to reopen Erie PA restaurant with new owners
