fMr. Roland Dickey and his siblings grew up hanging around the hickory-wood pits of his father’s Dallas restaurant, the original Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. As the son of our founder, Travis Dickey, Roland couldn’t help but develop a knack for cooking up savory barbecue favorites. In fact, many of the recipes on our menu were crafted by Mr. Dickey himself! However, he hadn’t always intended on becoming the Original Pit Master. Roland was pursuing a career in law at Southern Methodist University when he and his brother, T.D., stepped in to run the family-business upon his father’s passing in 1967.

Over his years running the restaurant, Roland and his brother were able to expand the business throughout the Dallas Fort Worth area, gaining popularity that extended well beyond the region. In 1994, Roland helped develop the first franchise location run by the Smiths, who are still franchisees to this day! In 2006, Roland passed the title of Pit Master to his son, Roland Jr., handing down a legacy that has spanned generations. Today, Roland travels the country to visit franchisees, hosts appreciation events, and remains active within our community of Dickey’s owners.

You could say that Roland Dickey, Jr., Chief Executive Officer of Dickey’s Capital Group, the holding company of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., has been with the brand since birth. As the grandson of Dickey’s founder, Roland Dickey Jr. knows the brand unlike anyone else. He grew up learning how to make Dickey’s famous slow-smoked meats from his father, fostering a great love for barbecue before heading off to Southern Methodist University to study Business Administration. Roland Dickey Jr. became the third generation of Dickeys to work with the brand in 1999 and was transitioned to his current role in 2016.

Under Roland’s leadership, Dickey’s has expanded from 20 locations to more than 550 nationwide and internationally. His expertise includes growth strategies that enable him to scale the family business and take it to new heights. In addition to Dickey’s restaurants, Roland Dickey Jr. also oversees a portfolio of businesses that include retail products, manufacturers, real estate, metal fabrication, and distribution companies.

Since beginning with the company, Roland Dickey Jr. has earned numerous recognitions, awards, and accolades for his work on the Dickey’s brand. This includes such honors as being named in Nation’s Restaurant News’s 50 Most Powerful People in Foodservice, D Magazine’s Top 500 CEOs list, and Restaurant Business’s Top 20 Leadership Power List, just to name a few. With Roland Dickey Jr. at the helm, Dickey’s continues to be a family-run business with an emphasis on the quality food and Southern hospitality that made us famous.

Laura Rea Dickey serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. With over 20 years of experience in the marketing and information technology fields, Laura Rea continually inspires innovation in the Dickey’s brand while keeping spirits high with her witty sense of humor.

Before her role as CEO, Laura Rea worked with various marketing agencies to grow large scale brands such as W Hotels, American Heart Association, and Chick-Fil-A. Specializing in the intersection between technology and marketing, she became an expert at turning data insights into tangible business solutions. With these skills in tow, she came to work for Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Inc., soon becoming the Chief Information Officer. In this role, she implemented a new technology infrastructure that included data reporting, information security, and tools for franchisees.

In 2017, Laura Rea took her seat as CEO, but we don’t think she’s been doing much sitting since then. Always on the hunt for growth opportunities, Laura Rea has overseen our international development, launched new additions to our menu, and helped pioneer programs that have contributed to positive same store sales in all digital channels over the past three years. And it’s not just the Dickey’s team that has taken notice of her successes, either. In 2019 alone, Laura Rea Dickey was named to the Nation’s Restaurant News Power List, featured in D Magazine’s Top 500 CEOs, and awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Hospitality Technology.

In addition to spearheading Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., Laura Rea also serves on the board of our nonprofit, The Dickey Foundation, that supports first responders and their families. A true leader in every sense of the word, Laura Rea is driving Dickey’s forward while keeping to the values that make our family-owned brand so special.

Renee Roozen currently serves as Chief Administrative Officer at Dickey’s Capital Group, Inc. Roozen has been with the Dickey’s family since 2015 starting out as the Vice President of Operations at Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. and quickly made the move to President. In her role of Chief Administrative Officer, Ms. Roozen moved from an operations role to be more hands on at the Dickey’s Home Office where she manages all human resources and training functions. She also oversees all office and cross functional project management for Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and all affiliate brands. Just before joining the Dickey’s team, Ms. Roozen held the title of Vice President of Operations and Training at Famous Brands International.

Jeff Gruber serves as Senior Vice President of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants Inc. In his role, he handles all Dickey’s franchise relations and focuses on creating lasting relationships between the Dickey’s Home Office and every franchisee. Gruber began his career with Dickey’s in 2008 and has since been a lead in a variety of initiatives in various departments across the company. Prior to joining Dickey’s, Gruber worked as an attorney for different firms in Dallas including Byrne Cardenas & Aris, LLP and Goldstein & Scopellite, PC. Gruber earned a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Spring Hill College and holds a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University, Dedman School of Law.

Vladivoj Lisica Fox joined the Dickey’s off-shore technology and development team in 2021, thinking he would only be the team’s HR assistant. The universe, however, is fickle, so today he manages about fifty people across diverse software development and support teams, coordinates projects, and partners closely with everyone in Dickey’s to drive tech and other activities. Outside of this life, Fox has a Master’s degree in English and IT Education, has worked as a translator for a decade, had a fun temporary gig as a radio host, writes and hosts pub quizzes, has been doing social media and event management for his favorite pub since 2018, organized a sci-fi convention for twenty years, and is an avid gamer. He survives on coffee, sarcasm, and crude humor.

Ryan Reeves serves as our Senior Vice President of Franchise Sales. Reeves initially worked with Dickey’s from 2010-2016 as Sr. Director of Franchise Sales, rejoining the brand in 2024. In his current SVP role, Mr. Reeves manages all new franchise sales and portfolio management efforts for Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. Prior to rejoining the Dickey’s team, Mr. Reeves held the title of Chief Development Officer for Mayweather Boxing and Fitness and their sister brand Kick House. When off the clock, Ryan is blessed with a large family and is a respected youth pastor. His shoulders showcase his junior olympic swimming past, and his secret talent is his singing voice.

Sarah Rooney is the Vice President of Training and Technology with over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, spanning both corporate and franchise operations domestically and internationally. Throughout her career, she has played a key role in opening multiple restaurant locations across the United States and the Middle East, bringing hands-on operational insight to every project she leads.

Sarah specializes in restaurant management, project planning, LTO rollouts, and technology implementations, with a strong focus on creating practical, easy-to-use training materials for both staff and managers. Known for her collaborative and down-to-earth approach, she is passionate about helping teams adopt new systems, improve performance, and deliver consistent, high-quality guest experiences.

Elliott Stubbendick serves as the Senior Vice President of Operations at Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Elliott joined the Dickey’s family in 2023 as a Director of Finance and Operations and has since been promoted to his current role. He has been in the hospitality industry for the past 30 years working in several operational roles. He is driven by a people first approach, with a strong emphasis on product, standards, and profitable restaurants. Prior to joining Dickey’s, Elliott worked with Pizza Hut as a Director of Operations, as well as Fuddruckers, and Pilot Travel Centers.