Hickory's Smokehouse

What Hickory's Smokehouse does

Hickory's Smokehouse is a UK-based, founder-led casual dining restaurant group operating 40+ directly-owned locations across England and Wales under the legal entity Hickory's (ROS) Limited. The company opened its first restaurant in Chester in 2010 following a research road trip across the American Southern states, and has since built its positioning around authentic low 'n' slow BBQ cooked in custom smokers, served in family-oriented restaurants with dedicated kids' facilities (Fro-Co stations, movie rooms, outdoor play areas), recurring character brunches, NFL Sunday viewing events, and seasonal celebrations.

The core product is the dine-in restaurant experience, with supplementary revenue streams including gift cards sold through a dedicated online portal, private event and celebration hosting with deposit-based booking, and Hickory's At Home (a direct-to-consumer line of BBQ meal kits, sauce packs, and seasonal boxes launched during the COVID-19 period). Pricing is unit-based with pay-as-you-go billing, Smokin' Deals weekday promotions, and £5 per person deposits for larger parties. The company employs 2,000+ team members and operates no franchised sites. Marketing is multi-channel with organic social (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok), email, blog content, and event-driven bottom-of-funnel campaigns anchored by charity partnerships (Cash for Kids) and sports partnerships (Nat Coombs Show).

The business model is a single-category, single-geography, organic-growth restaurant group with no disclosed institutional ownership or external funding. Leadership consists of Founder & CEO Neil McDonnell and Finance Director Matt Powell. Hickory's (ROS) Limited is registered with the ICO (ZA069754) as the data controller. Recent recognition includes Publican Awards Best Operations Team 2026, Best Pub Employer 2025, and #1 in the Best Companies Top 100 Best Large Companies to Work For (2022).

Name

Hickory's Smokehouse

Legal name

Hickory's (ROS) Limited

Website

https://hickorys.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Hickory's Smokehouse is a UK-based, founder-led restaurant group operating 40+ directly-owned authentic American BBQ smokehouse locations across England and Wales, serving families, celebration groups, and NFL fans with dine-in, takeaway, gift cards, and Hickory's At Home meal kits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurants

akta.pro primary industry

BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)

Keywords

• Barbecue restaurants
• Smokehouse dining
• Casual dining chains
• Family restaurants
• Private event catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Chester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices42 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining: Core revenue from dine-in experiences across 40+ UK restaurant locations, with table bookings and walk-ins.
2. Gift Cards: Gift cards sold online and redeemable at any Hickory's location, valid for 12 months from purchase.
3. Hickory's At Home: Takeaway and catering products including BBQ boxes, sauce packs, and merchandise available for purchase.
4. Private Events & Celebrations: Revenue from birthday celebrations, corporate events, and special occasion bookings with custom packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hickory's Smokehouse operates a chain of 40+ authentic American Southern-style BBQ smokehouse restaurants across the UK, serving slow-smoked meats (brisket, ribs, pulled pork), burgers, and Southern-inspired dishes for dine-in, takeaway, and private events. The company directly operates all locations under the Hickory's Smokehouse brand, founded in Chester in 2010. Supplementary revenue comes from Hickory's At Home BBQ meal kits, gift cards, themed character brunches, NFL Sunday viewing events, and private celebration bookings.

Product overview

Hickory's Smokehouse is a UK restaurant group operating 40+ casual-dining BBQ smokehouse locations across the UK. The core offering is authentic American Southern-style slow-smoked BBQ (brisket, ribs, pulled pork) served in family-friendly restaurants. The portfolio includes: the core restaurant dine-in/takeaway service; Hickory's At Home (BBQ meal kits and sauces for home cooking sold via giftcard.hickorys.co.uk); Gift Cards; and a dedicated kids experience (VIK – Very Important Kids) with special menus, Fro-Co stations, movie rooms, and outdoor play. Supplementary offerings include celebration hosting, themed Character Brunch events, NFL Sundays sports viewing, Smokin' Deals weekday promotions, brunch service, and seasonal holiday events (Spookhouse Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day). All locations are company-operated, with over 2,000 team members and the first restaurant opening in Chester in 2010.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hickory's Smokehouse Restaurant Dining Authentic American Southern-style BBQ smokehouse restaurants serving slow-smoked meats (brisket, ribs, pulled pork), burgers, Southern-inspired sides, and cocktails for dine-in across 40+ company-operated UK locations. Targets families, adult diners, celebration groups, and sports fans.
• Hickory's At Home Direct-to-consumer BBQ meal kits, sauce packs, and takeaway products for cooking Southern-style BBQ at home, including seasonal offerings such as Valentine's BBQ Box, Christmas gifting boxes, and Super Bowl boxes.
• Hickory's Gift Cards

Quantifiable outcome

• Over £500,000 raised for Cash for Kids charity with goal of reaching £1 million

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nat Coombs ShowcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2025Official partner of The Nat Coombs Show, an NFL-focused sports entertainment program. The partnership includes exclusive events, competitions (Nat Coombs BBQ Experience Competition), and joint promotions around NFL Sundays at Hickory's locations across the UK.
• Cash for KidscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing charity partnership supporting Cash for Kids. Hickory's has raised over £500,000 with a road to £1 million target. Annual Cash for Kids Day events, campfire marshmallow fundraising, and ongoing community support through the charity.
• Together TravelminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Together Travel for Hickory's At Home staycation packages, combining authentic BBQ experiences with travel offerings.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Wingstop: US-origin chicken-focused casual-dining concept rapidly expanding across the UK. Emerging US-casual-dining entrant that competes for the same American-cuisine casual-dining occasions as Hickory's.

Broad incumbents

• Hawksmoor: UK premium steakhouse group with a strong brand in the meat-focused dining category. Not BBQ but directly comparable in centering the menu around premium cooked meats and a similar UK casual-upscale positioning.
• Frankie & Benny's: Large UK-Italian-American casual-dining chain with comparable site count and family-friendly positioning. Not BBQ-specialist but competes for the same casual-dining occasions and family customer segment.
• Pizza Express: Major UK casual-dining chain with family positioning and comparable site footprint. Operates as a direct competitor for casual-dining occasions and family occasions in overlapping UK geographies.
• Miller & Carter: UK steakhouse chain (Mitchells & Butlers) operating a comparable premium-casual format with company-operated sites. Competes with Hickory's for mid-market dining occasions and similar customer demographics.
• Nando's: Major UK casual-dining chain specializing in flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. Competes for similar mid-market family and group dining occasions with comparable price points and dine-in model.

Direct peers

• Smoke Haus: UK BBQ-focused casual-dining operator offering smoked meats and American-inspired dishes. Comparable menu format, customer profile, and dine-in casual-dining model.
• Smokey Joe's Smokehouse: Independent UK BBQ smokehouse operator serving slow-smoked meats in a casual-dining setting. Comparable concept (American BBQ, casual dining, family-friendly) and a relevant UK BBQ competitor.
• Bodean's BBQ: London-based authentic American BBQ smokehouse chain serving slow-smoked ribs, brisket, and pulled pork in a casual-dining format. The most direct UK competitor to Hickory's in the BBQ smokehouse category.
• Red's True BBQ: UK authentic BBQ restaurant chain founded in Leeds offering slow-smoked meats in a casual-dining environment. Directly competes with Hickory's in the same Southern BBQ niche and comparable regional UK footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HickorysChester
• Instagraminstagram.com/hickoryssmokehouse
• TikToktiktok.com/@hickoryssmokehouse
• Xx.com/hickorys_

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hickory's Smokehouse