New owners finally ready to reopen Dickey's Barbecue in Coldwater

Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter
·3 min read

COLDWATER — After troubles plagued the past two owners of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, Vanessa Ingersoll and Troy Cook will reopen Branch County’s only barbecue restaurant Monday.

Vanessa Ingersoll and son Nicolas, Troy Cook and daughter Cecelia will reopen Dickey's Barbecue Pit at 445 E. Chicago Monday.
Vanessa Ingersoll and son Nicolas, Troy Cook and daughter Cecelia will reopen Dickey's Barbecue Pit at 445 E. Chicago Monday.

With all inspections passed, Cook said the business is cleaned, repaired, repainted, and ready for customers at 445 E Chicago St.

Despite past critical comments on social media, the couple saw something they could handle.

“The opportunity just seemed right. The financials are all right. What is one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” Cook explained.

Ingersoll has restaurant experience. She was the manager of Coldwater Gardens.

“I did a lot of the catering there for a very long time," she said.

She also worked at Pizza Hut, the Elks, and Moose.

Cook’s background is in business, service, and building.

“This is her show,” he said. “But I love barbecue. I’ll be cooking the meat.”

The couple spent three weeks in April at Dickey’s main office in Dallas, learning the system and how to smoke the meat. There are other items on the company menu they will try in Coldwater, maybe wings.

“I hope to take a lot of their system and try to tweak it within standards,” Cook said.

Texas barbecue is drier meat, he explained.

“We’ll brine our meats. People here like their barbecue juicy and warm. Company policy requires the meat to be smoked fresh daily," Cook said.

Painted and cleaned inside and out, the fourth owners are ready to reopen.
Painted and cleaned inside and out, the fourth owners are ready to reopen.

The first Dickey’s Barbecue Pit was in 1941 in Dallas. Today it has more than 500 locations.

The couple believes they have a solution to finding good help. Besides themselves, Ingersoll’s son Nicolas will manage. Cook’s daughter Cecilia will work out in the dining room.

The couple’s other children will fill in around their jobs.

The couple took over in January but could not open the restaurant.

“This was a big mess,” he said.

They worked to clean and repair for three months to pass health inspections and meet building codes.

“I think we hold ourselves to an even higher standards. I can guarantee you this is the cleanest place to eat, and it’ll stay that way because I got major OCD,” Cook said. 

Cook and Ingersoll completed three weeks of training at the Dickey's headquarters in March.
Cook and Ingersoll completed three weeks of training at the Dickey's headquarters in March.

The equipment was repaired and scoured. Cook added wheels to all equipment to move it for thorough cleaning. Holes in the siding were closed. Three companies came in to rid the building of all pests.

Work will continue to improve the business. “You have got to put money back into this place and you take care of this place, and the customers will take care of you,” Cook said. 

With Ingersoll’s background, they hope to do a lot of catering.

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Matt Stritzinger started Coldwater Dickey’s before his other businesses took too much time. The two subsequent owners could not continue his success.

Stritzinger consults with Cook and Ingersoll. They believe as Branch County natives with the people who know them, Dickey’s Barbecue will again become a success.

---Contact Don Reid: dReid@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DReidTDR

This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: New owners finally ready to reopen Dickey's Barbecue