The Declining Texas BBQ Chain Known For Its Iconic Take-Home Cups

The restaurant trade has always been a precarious area of the food industry. Changing trends, customer reviews, and the rising cost of ingredients are just a handful of concerns that can cause even the most popular local eateries to plummet. Well-known chain restaurants aren't immune to suffering the same fate. Take the case of the declining Texas BBQ chain Dickey's Barbecue Pit — best known for its iconic yellow-colored take-home cups — which has closed many of its nationwide branches over the years. Dickey's first opened its doors in 1941 in Dallas, Texas with a menu featuring beef brisket, barbecue beans, chips, and sodas. Owner and veteran Travis Dickey took care of the smoker while his wife prepared the sandwiches. From that first eatery, a chain of restaurants grew over the years spanning a whopping 866 locations in 44 US states. 

During this expansion, the idea to produce reusable cups that diners could take home with them was proposed by Dickey's son Roland (who has since become the CEO of Dickey's Capital Group). However, the signature bright yellow color of the cups was never part of the plan. In fact, it was a fortuitous printing error that Roland Jr. decided to run with, rather than remedy. Despite the chain's mouthwatering menu, which includes wood-smoked meats and Southern sides, like classic mac and cheese and pulled-pork chili, just over 300 Dickey's Barbecue Pit locations remain today (almost 100 venues were closed during the 2024 fiscal year and 30 more followed by December).

The barbecue restaurant closed many stores due to a slump in sales. Franchisees experienced more than a 5% drop in 2023 alone. The current plan is to revamp the existing branches and update its menu in order to give the chain a shot at survival. In September 2025, Dickey's ran a one-day promotion where customers could purchase big yellow cups for a single dollar. At the time, Roland Jr. told Business Wire: "Dickey's has been bringing people together for nearly 85 years, and the Big Yellow Cup is one of the most recognizable symbols of that tradition. This $1 promotion is our way of giving back to the communities that have supported us." 

Indeed, the big yellow cup has been the restaurant's mascot for decades, showing up at events and featuring in campaigns. Today's 32oz Dickie's big yellow cups are reusable, recyclable and both dishwasher and microwave safe, making them a frugal purchase for barbecue fans (people with smaller appetites can get a "lil yellow cup" instead). Other eateries that have suffered brutal waves of closures include Denny's, which closed 150 locations, and Red Lobster, which closed 100 restaurants and soon after filed for bankruptcy. Hopefully, Dickey's upgrades will help it break this trend.