Dickey's BBQ opens

Yesterday at long last, Dickey's, a national BBQ chain, opened in Ashbrook Commons. My wife and I and a couple of family members, who are BBQ fans, and tried it out for the first time. They liked it, and the convenience of where they live in Ashburn Village gives them a new restaurant option they can walk to.

I'm familiar with them through a number of visits to other Dickey's in MD, and the family likes the nearest Dickey's to Ashburn in Centreville.

For a first night effort with new staff and uncertainties, it worked out pretty well. The staff was nice, even if they didn't always know what to do. The BBQ is freshly cut and chopped before you and served on a paper lined metal tray plate. Tasty and tender!

The line was long and continuously filled to the door while we were there, and people seemed to be happy to be there. Free big take home drinks to the first night crowd was a nice touch. The food was good, but maybe not as hot as it could have been.

One of Dickey's best customer service features is having the sauces served in a warmer, which helps keep your food warm while eating.

We were only disappointed that the distinguishing menu feature at Dickey's we always liked - soft serve ice cream for dessert - was not offered, and we were told it will not be offered in the Ashburn store, and will actually removed from all existing locations. Bummer... While the quality of Dickey's is fine for us, that was one of the standout features of dining with them that we liked, which is a nice palate cleanser after heavy BBQ, so that kind of makes them 'just another BBQ place' in Ashburn without the ice cream. But it's still a good place overall and we recommend it.

We'll go back whenever we're not in the mood for Urban BBQ, which we like better overall. A couple of things I'd improve though if I was the manager:
--The fresh cut/chopped meat service makes for a long wait in line, if you are not used to that process from other Dickey's.
--They need to post the side dish menu somewhere where it can be seen from the line - only the main menu offerings and prices are posted. That adds to the wait time with them having to explain the sides or direct you further around toward the cashier where there is a list.
--Seating is limited and one big table for 4 was broken and wobbly. But most people in line were doing take out anyway, so it wasn't an issue.
--Not every menu item was available last night. I like their Jalapeno BBQ beans best but they were not available so I had to order the regular beans which were not as appealing. The mashed potato casserole my wife ordered was great!