Dickey’s Barbecue Pit has been feeding groups since 1941, and the catering program shows it. Tiered buffets sold by the number of meats, box lunches, the Big Yellow Box in seven variants, six hickory-smoked meats, and homestyle sides in family and extra-large pans. Few national chains treat catering as the main business the way Dickey’s does.
Feeding an office asks for things a barbecue chain handles poorly. You get one heavy cuisine, a vegetarian plate assembled from side dishes, shared trays with nobody to serve them, and a menu whose availability depends on which franchise sits closest to you. Here are 8 alternatives worth ordering. A good swap keeps the smoke and the sauce while fixing the weight, the dietary gaps, the serving line, and the mess.
In This Guide
Why Look Beyond Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Catering?
Dickey’s earns a place on the group-lunch shortlist, and the Big Yellow Box and Classic Buffets put a lot of food on a table for the money. Five things send offices looking for something else.
- One cuisine, and the heaviest one on the board. Smoked meat, a starchy side, a bun, and sauce make a fine quarterly treat. Run it weekly and the menu repeats itself by the third order, and a good share of the room spends the afternoon fighting a food coma.
- Vegetarians get assembled out of side dishes. Dickey’s does carry meat-free sides, including mac and cheese, cabbage slaw, potato salad, Caesar salad, and creamed spinach, plus a giant stuffed baked potato that works as an entree. Your vegetarians will eat. You will also spend the order building their plate out of sides while everyone else picks a meat.
- Vegan and dairy-free guests get thinner options still. Most of those meat-free sides run on cheese, butter, or mayonnaise, which leaves slaw and a plain potato once you rule dairy out. Barbecue rubs and sauces add their own gluten and sugar questions.
- Shared trays, and you run the line. Buffets and Big Yellow Boxes arrive in pans. No caterer sets them up, refills the sauce, or clears them, so somebody on your team becomes the server, and the last people through the line get the ends of everything.
- Barbecue is the messiest food in the office. Sauce on hands, on keyboards, on shirts, and on the conference table. That rules it out for client lunches, working sessions, and any room where people eat with a laptop open.
One more thing worth checking before you order: Dickey’s locations are franchised, so delivery radius, packaging, and whether a store caters at all change from market to market. The 8 options below fix these problems while keeping the smoke people came for.
8 Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Catering Alternatives
1. A Local Barbecue Caterer: The Same Smoke, Plus Someone to Serve It
Independent pitmasters smoke the same brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken, and most of them deliver, set up the line, and staff it.
Quick stats: $16 to $28 per person | Staffed buffet or trays | 24 to 48 hours lead time | Local in most metros, available 7 days
Order this when the barbecue is the point and the chain is the problem. A local caterer smokes in-house, writes a menu around your headcount instead of a fixed tier, and sends someone to run the buffet. Browse barbecue caterers on Zerocater like Roaming Buffalo BBQ in Denver, Mighty Quinn’s in New York, Smokey Joe’s in Dallas, Huddy BBQ and Oak Ember BBQ in Atlanta, Jones Barbeque in Seattle, and City Smoke House in San Francisco. Our corporate barbecue catering guide covers how to scope one, and the full barbecue caterer directory lists what is available near you.
2. Boxed Barbecue Lunches: One Labeled Meal per Person
Boxed barbecue trades the shared pan for a personal meal: a sandwich or a portion of smoked meat with sides, packed and labeled for its eater.
Quick stats: $14 to $22 per person | Individual boxes | 24 to 48 hours lead time | Local and national, available 7 days
Boxes fix the two things a buffet does worst. Nobody serves, and nobody eats the ends of a pan, so a hundred people get fed in the time it takes to hand out a hundred boxes. Labeling also solves the dietary problem the buffet creates, since a vegetarian or gluten-free box gets built once and handed to the right person instead of being scavenged from a line. See our boxed lunch catering guide, our boxed lunch versus buffet comparison, and our boxed lunches for hybrid teams guide.
3. A Barbecue Slider or Sandwich Bar: Portioned, and Far Less Messy
A slider bar keeps pulled pork, brisket, and smoked chicken and serves them on small buns with slaw, pickles, and a row of sauces.
Quick stats: $13 to $20 per person | Build-your-own station | 24 to 48 hours lead time | Local in most metros, available 7 days
Sliders make barbecue eatable in a room where people are also working. Portions come pre-sized, everything travels in one hand, and the sauce stays on the bun instead of the table. Guests build their own, so a light eater takes one and a hungry one takes three, and the vegetarian in the room can take a bean or jackfruit slider off the same station. For the station-style playbook, see our build-your-own station guide and our party tray catering guide.
4. Tacos and a Tex-Mex Spread: Same Smoke and Sauce, More Room to Move
A taco or fajita bar carries the same grilled, smoky, sauced flavors and feeds a much wider range of eaters from the same table.
Quick stats: $12 to $20 per person | Build-your-own bar | 24 to 48 hours lead time | Local in most metros, available 7 days
Barbacoa, carnitas, and grilled chicken sit right next to brisket on the flavor map, and the format solves what barbecue cannot. Beans, rice, grilled vegetables, and guacamole make a full vegan plate, corn tortillas keep it gluten-free, and everyone assembles what they want. Browse taco caterers on Zerocater like Tio Luis Tacos in Chicago, Bayshore Taqueria in San Francisco, El Xolo in Austin, and El Jefe’s Taqueria in Cambridge, or start from the Mexican caterer directory. Our build-your-own taco bar guide covers the setup.
5. Grilled and Smoked Bowls: The Same Protein Without the Afternoon Slump
Bowls keep the smoked chicken, brisket, or pork and serve it over rice or greens with roasted vegetables and sauce on the side.
Quick stats: $13 to $20 per person | Assembled bowls or a bowl bar | 24 to 48 hours lead time | Local in most metros, available 7 days
Swap the bun and the mac and cheese for grains and vegetables and the same protein reads as a normal lunch. Teams eat the flavors they asked for and get back to work. Bowls also scale their own dietary coverage, since a base swap handles gluten-free and dropping the protein handles vegetarian, without a separate order. See our healthy office catering guide, our keto office catering guide, and our build-your-own salad bar guide.
6. A Mezze and Mediterranean Spread: The Direct Fix for the Dietary Gaps
A mezze table answers the guests barbecue leaves behind: hummus, falafel, grilled vegetables, salads, and pita alongside chicken or lamb skewers.
Quick stats: $13 to $22 per person | Platters and spreads | 24 to 48 hours lead time | Local in most metros, available 7 days
Vegan, dairy-free, and vegetarian guests get a full plate here rather than a scoop of slaw, and the meat eaters still get skewers and shawarma. The spread also holds at room temperature better than a pan of brisket, which matters when people trickle in over an hour. Start from the Mediterranean caterer directory, and see our vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and halal office catering guides, plus our guide to ordering for mixed dietary needs.
7. A Full-Service Caterer for the Cookout or All-Hands
For a company cookout or an all-hands, a full-service caterer brings the thing a chain never sends: people who set up, carve, serve, and clean up.
Quick stats: $22 to $40 per person | Staffed buffet or carving station | 48 hours to 1 week lead time | Local in most metros, available 7 days
A staffed barbecue does what a delivered one cannot. The brisket gets sliced to order at a carving station, the pans stay hot and full, and nobody from your team spends the event behind a chafing dish. This is the version to book when the meal is the event. Plan it with our company picnic catering guide, our corporate event catering checklist, and our summer office catering guide, and browse caterers like Little Lou’s BBQ in the South Bay, Bell Heirs BBQ in Chicago, and Angie’s Brisket House in Los Angeles.
8. Local Caterers via Zerocater: The Full Upgrade
Every option above still ties you to one restaurant, one cuisine, and one format. Order through Zerocater and you reach 1,000-plus vetted caterers across every style, with managed delivery, setup, serving staff, and dietary needs scoped per order.
Quick stats: Varies by caterer | Same-day ordering available | Setup and serving staff options | Available in major metro areas, 7 days
The difference shows up over a month rather than a single lunch. You rotate barbecue, tacos, mezze, and bowls through the same account instead of reordering the same brisket, you set a per-person budget and get menus that hit it, and vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free guests get counted at order time. For a program rather than a one-off, see our office manager’s guide to ordering catering and our lunch and learn catering guide.
With CaterAi, you describe your event (headcount, budget, dietary needs) and get custom menu suggestions from multiple restaurants in minutes. Try CaterAi now.
Dickey’s Alternatives at a Glance
| Alternative | Style | Price/Person | Fixes vs. Dickey’s | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local Barbecue Caterer | Staffed buffet or trays | $16–$28 | Reach + setup + service | Keeping the barbecue, losing the chain |
| Boxed Barbecue Lunches | Individual labeled boxes | $14–$22 | No serving line, clean dietary labeling | Big headcounts, hybrid, meetings |
| Barbecue Slider Bar | Build-your-own station | $13–$20 | Portioned, much less mess | Working lunches, mixed appetites |
| Tacos & Tex-Mex | Build-your-own bar | $12–$20 | Same flavors, real vegan plate | Mixed teams, weekly rotation |
| Grilled & Smoked Bowls | Assembled bowls or bowl bar | $13–$20 | Same protein, lighter lunch | Afternoon-heavy schedules |
| Mezze & Mediterranean | Platters and spreads | $13–$22 | Vegan and dairy-free get a full plate | Teams with real dietary spread |
| Full-Service Caterer | Staffed buffet, carving station | $22–$40 | Adds staff, carving, cleanup | Cookouts, all-hands, client events |
| Local via Zerocater | Any style, managed + staffed | Varies | Fixes all of the above | The full upgrade, anywhere |
The question people forget to ask: who is going to serve it?
Barbecue arrives in pans, and pans need a person. Somebody has to set the line, keep the brisket hot, refill the sauce, and clear the table when the room empties. With a chain order that person works for you, and they spend their lunch behind a chafing dish instead of eating. Ask the question before you pick a format, and it will narrow your options faster than price does.
Skip the Chain: Order Local Through CaterAi
Each option here solves one or two of Dickey’s limits, and none solves all of them. Dickey’s puts a lot of smoked meat on a table where its franchises reach. A local pitmaster matches the food and adds the service. Boxes fix the line and the labeling. Tacos, bowls, and mezze fix the weight and the dietary gaps. A staffed caterer fixes the part nobody plans for. CaterAi gets you all of them from one place.
Tell CaterAi your headcount, budget, and dietary needs, and it builds custom menus from 1,000-plus local caterers in minutes, then lets you chat to swap dishes, add serving staff, and check out. For ongoing meal programs, see corporate catering; for a cookout, all-hands, or client lunch, see corporate event catering; and for the full picture, see how Zerocater works. Ordering by city? Our cost guides for Dallas, Austin, Atlanta, Denver, Chicago, and New York break down what a spread runs per person.
Plan Your Office Barbecue with CaterAi
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best alternative to Dickey’s Barbecue Pit for office catering?
Start from why you are leaving. If you want the barbecue and the problem is the store near you, a local pitmaster smokes the same brisket and pulled pork and delivers to your address. If the shared tray is the problem, boxed barbecue lunches give each person a labeled meal. If the heaviness is the problem, grilled bowls or a taco spread carry the same smoke and sauce at half the weight. If the dietary gaps are the problem, a mezze table feeds vegan and dairy-free guests a real plate instead of a side dish. Ordering through Zerocater covers all four, with 1,000-plus local caterers, managed delivery, setup, and serving staff Dickey’s catering does not include.
How does Dickey’s Barbecue Pit catering work?
Dickey’s builds its catering around a few group formats: tiered barbecue buffets sold by the number of meats, specialty buffets such as the giant pit-smoked baked potato and the mac and cheese spread, box lunches, and the Big Yellow Box in several variants. Six hickory-smoked meats anchor the menu, and homestyle sides ship in family and extra-large sizes. You order through the catering hotline or the online quote flow and choose delivery or pickup. Locations are franchised, so packaging and delivery reach vary by store. Our Dickey’s Barbecue Pit catering guide covers the full menu.
Does Dickey’s Barbecue Pit catering have vegetarian options?
Partly. Dickey’s carries meat-free sides including mac and cheese, cabbage slaw, potato salad, Caesar salad, and creamed spinach, and the giant stuffed baked potato works as a vegetarian entree. Vegetarians can eat, though you assemble their plate out of side dishes rather than ordering them a main. Vegan and dairy-free guests have a thinner time of it, since most of those sides are built on cheese, butter, or mayonnaise, which leaves slaw and a plain potato. A mezze spread or a taco bar feeds those guests a full plate. See our vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free office catering guides for scoping a spread everyone can eat.
What is a good Dickey’s alternative that keeps the barbecue?
A local barbecue caterer. Independent pitmasters smoke brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and chicken the same way, and most of them deliver, set up a line, and staff it, which a chain box drop does not. Zerocater works with barbecue caterers in every metro it serves, including Roaming Buffalo BBQ in Denver, Mighty Quinn’s in New York, Smokey Joe’s in Dallas, Huddy BBQ in Atlanta, and Jones Barbeque in Seattle. You keep the smoke and add the service.
What is the best Dickey’s catering alternative for a big group?
For a large headcount, boxed barbecue lunches or a staffed buffet beat a stack of shared trays. Boxes need no serving line at all, so a hundred people eat in the time it takes to hand out a hundred boxes. A staffed buffet keeps the food hot and puts a caterer behind the line instead of your office manager. For an all-hands or a company cookout, a full-service caterer adds delivery, setup, carving, and cleanup. See our office manager’s guide to ordering catering and our corporate event catering checklist.
What is a lighter alternative to barbecue catering for the office?
Grilled and smoked protein bowls are the closest swap. You keep the smoked chicken, brisket, or pork, then serve it over rice or greens with roasted vegetables and a sauce on the side instead of beside mac and cheese and a bun. Teams eat the same flavors and go back to work without the afternoon slump. A taco or fajita spread does similar work, and a mezze table is lighter still. See our healthy office catering guide and our build-your-own taco bar guide.
Is Dickey’s catering available everywhere?
No. Dickey’s locations are independently owned and operated, so catering availability, packaging, delivery radius, and lead times depend on the store nearest you. Plenty of offices have no Dickey’s in delivery range. Booking a local barbecue caterer through Zerocater delivers to your address with managed logistics, so your options are not limited to whichever franchise happens to be close.
What should I order instead of barbecue for a client lunch?
Barbecue is the messiest food you can put on a conference table. Sauce, hands, and shirts do not mix with a pitch deck. For a client lunch, order barbecue sliders or a boxed meal that keeps the same flavors in a form people can eat one-handed, or move to a mezze spread or a grain bowl that stays neat. If you want the barbecue anyway, hire a caterer who staffs the line and clears the plates. See our board meeting catering guide and our corporate event catering checklist.
Related guides: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit Catering Guide | Corporate Barbecue Catering | Boxed Lunch Catering | Boxed vs. Buffet vs. Family Style | Build-Your-Own Taco Bar | Company Picnic Catering | Summer Office Catering | Healthy Office Catering | Vegetarian Office Catering | Vegan Office Catering | Gluten-Free Office Catering | Mixed Dietary Needs | Office Manager’s Guide | Corporate Event Catering Checklist | Outback Alternatives | IHOP Alternatives | CAVA Alternatives | Subway Alternatives
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