---
title: "Dickey's Barbecue Pit Builds Excitement for Legit. Texas. Barbecue. With New Location in Canada"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/8da868b2-c4a5-4ca8-948a-103cb3ed3d41
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20220816_dickey39s_barbecue_pit_builds_excitement_for_legit_texas_barbecue_with_new_.html
category: "Casual dining"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Casual dining"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2022-08-16T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T22:33:00.332Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1568901346375-23c9450c58cd?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Dickey's Barbecue Pit Builds Excitement for Legit. Texas. Barbecue. With New Location in Canada

**TL;DR:** Dickey's Barbecue Pit has signed a franchise agreement to bring its brand to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, with a new location featuring Legit. Texas. Barbecue and southern hospitality. The location is owned and operated by Zainab Abba Aji and Sukhwinder Benipal.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2022-08-16. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20220816_dickey39s_barbecue_pit_builds_excitement_for_legit_texas_barbecue_with_new_.html).*

## Story

DALLAS - Dickey's Barbecue Pit has signed a franchise agreement with Owner Operators Zainab Abba Aji and Sukhwinder Benipal to bring the brand's Legit. Texas. Barbecue.™ up north to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada! The duo is excited to welcome locals and visitors to Edmonton with open arms as they strive to continue to share our love for Texas-style barbecue and our southern hospitality up north.

On Aug. 12, 2022, the Edmonton Dickey's Barbecue Pit celebrated the grand opening of its BBQ joint! Calling all barbecue lovers and foodies in Edmonton! You can now get your hands on the best barbecue in the world. The franchisee awarded Free Barbecue for a Year to one of the first 80 customers in line, helping celebrate 80 years of Dickey's Barbecue bliss. Hurry in to win FREE BBQ!

Zainab Abba Aji and Sukhwinder Benipal are the two women behind the opening and have long dreamt of a way to serve amazing food. Aji found passion in the kitchen and for food by cooking for the family, always finding a need for creating delicious meals and seeing the subsequent smiles. Benipal has roots in McDonald's and Wok Box and will use that experience to run the new Dickey's location.

"We're thrilled to partner with Zainab and Sukhwinder to bring more barbecue to the great people of Canada," Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. CEO Laura Rea Dickey said. "It's always exciting to debut our Legit. Texas. Barbecue.™ to new people, now we have the honor of bringing it to the beautiful and vibrant city of St. Albert. We want Canadians to have a taste of unique and authentic barbecue without crossing the border."

The soft opening for Alberta's Dickey's Barbecue Pit took place on August 11, 2022. This location will feature a Halal Menu featuring alcohol- and pork-free options, while still maintaining our families' authentic flavors and recipes with the variety of our other BBQ menu items

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- international expansion (topic)
- McDonald's (company)
- franchise agreement (topic)
- canada (location)
- Dickey's Barbecue Pit (company)
- Laura Rea Dickey (person)
- menu options (topic)
- Edmonton (location)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20220816_dickey39s_barbecue_pit_builds_excitement_for_legit_texas_barbecue_with_new_.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/8da868b2-c4a5-4ca8-948a-103cb3ed3d41).