The Worst US BBQ Chain Restaurant Of All Is Also The Largest - Tasting Table

"The U.S. is home to many different regional styles of BBQ and plenty of chain restaurants serving up your favorites. It's interesting to consider what makes a good barbecue restaurant just as much as what makes a bad one. Although some chain restaurants boast a plethora of locations, that isn't necessarily indicative of how good the food actually is. Sadly, Dickey's Barbecue Pit is a prime example of this. Albeit the largest barbecue chain restaurant in the U.S., it is also one of the worst."

"Per Tasting Table's rankings of BBQ chain restaurants, Dickey's secured the last possible place for a number of reasons. For one, its food offerings are spread far too thin. Rather than serving a solid selection of Texas-style barbecue, the number of items outside the realm of barbecue foods waters down its menu to the point that the restaurant hardly seems a barbecue-specific chain. What's more? The barbecue foods the chain restaurant offers are often criticized for being overcooked, dry, and not palatable."

"While it may take a proper pitmaster to understand the finer points of the craft of 'cue, any foodie with a reasonable understanding of what they do and don't like will find themselves underwhelmed by the lackluster menu at Dickey's. Between disappointing sides and generally bland meats that have spent far too long under a heat lamp, fans across the board have echoed Tasting Table's sentiments about this struggling U.S. BBQ chain."

Dickey's Barbecue Pit is the largest barbecue chain in the United States yet receives the poorest rankings among BBQ chains. The menu is overextended with many non-barbecue items, weakening its Texas-style barbecue focus. Customers report meats that appear gray, taste as if nothing was smoked, and exhibit a tough, dry texture. Additional complaints cite reheating, boiling meats, and meals left under inadequate heat lamps. Sides are often disappointing and bland, and overall quality issues leave many diners underwhelmed by the chain's barbecue offerings.

Read at Tasting Table