One Of Michigan’s Premier BBQs Has Declared Bankruptcy

Fast casual restaurants are my preferred way of eating. Places like Chipotle and Jersey Mike's Subs offer a higher quality of food than fast food but still allow you to get in and out the door quickly...chef's kiss.

A unique section of the fast-casual brand that takes a special hand to master would be the barbecue. Barbecue is a type of cooking that is largely considered a slow process, so ordering at a place like Dickey's Barbecue Pit and getting smoked BBQ over the counter is huge for meat fans. Sadly, West Michigan could stand to lose its Dickey's locations very soon.

Dicket's Barbecue Pit

Dickey's Barbecue Pit began franchising in 1994 and the fast-casual has seen incredible growth outside Texas since. There are currently an estimated 650 locations in 44 states around the country. Smokin' Dutchman Holdings (SDH), a Dickey's Barbecue franchisee, owns four locations around West Michigan: Holland, Jenison, Kalamazoo, and Rockford.

However, like their smoked meats, these locations could be up in smoke soon as SDH filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this week, putting the blame entirely on its Dickey's.

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According to the bankruptcy filing, the CEO of SDH Krage Fox revealed the company is $2.1 million in debt after Dickey's has reportedly "imposed extreme and unreasonable demands upon the financial resources" of SDH. If the bankruptcy filing is not approved, it will be forced to shut down the four locations in West Michigan.

If you want to keep your local Dickey's Barbecue Pit in service, it may be time to treat yourself to a meal or two.