On a hot June afternoon, Mazhar Zaidi is sitting at one of the dining tables on the ground floor of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Lahore, Pakistan. The top floor has a few families and groups of friends occupying the tables, enjoying some of Dickey’s specialties, such as the brisket and the short ribs. Zaidi offers barbecue platters to the candidates he is interviewing to help market the Dallas-based franchise he brought to the food capital of Pakistan three years ago.
“I wanted to bring the original Texas-style barbecue to Lahore, the home of Pakistani barbecue,” he said. “I wanted to give the locals a taste of the slow-smoked version, which is quite different to our Pakistani barbecue.”
Texas’ trademark pit-smoked barbecue is in stark contrast to the traditional tikka, meat grilled usually over coal, that Lahore is renowned for. Also, unlike Texas, the meat barbecued in Dickey’s Lahore outlet is predominantly beef, since pork, which is forbidden in Islam, isn’t consumed in the 97 percent, Muslim-majority country. The location also offers chicken and mutton.
“We might be smoking different meat types, but at Dickey’s we offer the same flavors you would get in Texas,” Zaidi said. “We use hickory wooden pellets, which also come from the U.S. We also use the same seasonings, and our trademark barbecue sauce is the same as the one being used in Dallas.”
On the wall, there are images and text referencing Dickey’s history: “Texas style since 1941,” says one sign; “Family owned,” reads another. Among the images, one remains special for Zaidi. In the picture from February 2020, he is posing in Dallas with his maamu and maami, his maternal uncle and aunt, after finalizing his deal with the international development department of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. Days after the deal was signed, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and Zaidi’s maami died.
“For me, Dickey’s is now affiliated with my maami’s memory,” Zaidi said. “Family is at the heart of both Texan and Pakistani culture. That’s why Dickey’s has remained family-centric.”
Having already played a part in establishing Subway in Pakistan as the regional manager, Zaidi had experienced the popularity of American food firsthand. He searched for more American franchising opportunities, and Dickey’s ticked all the boxes. “Dickey’s unique taste and style, along with meat-eating being a part of Pakistani culture, attracted me towards the franchise,” said Zaidi, who qualified as a pit boss after graduating from Dickey’s Barbecue University, and received monthlong training in Dallas in 2021.
Dickey’s foray into Pakistan is part of the franchise’s recent international expansion endeavors beginning with the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates where it opened its first outlet outside of the U.S. “We will see new store openings in the Philippines, England, Mexico, and Japan by December, as well as numerous openings in Canada,” said Jim Perkins, the executive vice president of international development at Dickey’s. Perkins maintained that while Pakistan might not be associated with traditional Texas barbecue, Dickey’s expects franchises in the country to pay dividends. “Pakistan serves all-halal product and has modified its menu in an effort to fit into the cultural needs of this Muslim country,” he said. “[But] Dickey’s expects additional growth in Pakistan in the first quarter of 2025.”
Among Dickey’s most loyal customers are families who have continued to visit the restaurant even as many are participating in a nationwide boycott of Western franchises. Along with Dickey’s, other Texas-based franchises such as Chili’s and Texas Chicken, have seen their business being affected by those who oppose the West’s involvement in the war in Gaza. Zaidi has even witnessed protesters threatening his outlet.
“They enter in numbers, scream and shout, ‘Why are you selling American food and drinks?’ I keep telling them this outlet is completely Pakistani-owned,” he said.
But even as American franchises are being boycotted, Texan culture remains popular.
Howdy is one of numerous Texan-themed eateries across Pakistan. The restaurant attempts the feel of a Texan ranch—servers don cowboy attire and the cutlery bears Wild West references engraved in the metal.
“Our customers love the atmosphere we create at our restaurant,” said one Howdy branch manager, Aaqib Shakeel. “Through the food and the ambience, we give our customers the feeling that they are dining in Texas.”
Any Howdy outlet is packed in the evenings, especially on the weekends, with families, couples, and groups of friends eating steaks or meat-loaded sandwiches. Many guests pose for photos with the Western-style interior featuring cowboy hats, guns, cattle brands, and taxidermized bull heads. Similar designs can be seen at restaurants such as Ranchers, Texas Steakhouse, Mr. Texas Grill, and numerous others. The demand for “cowboy steak” in Pakistan goes back decades to popular establishments like Gun Smoke, with Copper Kettle being one of the first to create a Western look when it opened in 1992.
“Pakistan developed a fascination with cowboys because of the Western movies that became quite popular in the nineties. Then Gun Smoke brought that culture into Pakistani dining,” remarks writer and cultural critic Tamina Mirza. “We Pakistanis have always had this love-hate relationship with America. Today, this is reflected in how we want to boycott Texan franchises but are wholeheartedly embracing Texan culture at various steakhouses and Western-style restaurants, and putting it all on Instagram. The youngsters today only pose at American-style cafes,” she adds.
Today, Texan culture and cuisine has blended with Pakistan’s to such an extent that barbecuing Texas-style is now being adopted as the go-to method during gatherings of friends and families. It was during a picnic with his friends that pitmaster Muhammad Asim learned how to make Texas barbecue.
“My friends came from the U.S. and had lived in Texas. They told me about Texas barbecue. I enjoyed doing barbecue with my friends growing up, and then after learning the Texas style I wanted to start my own barbecue joint,” said Asim, who cofounded RTOM BBQ in Lahore in 2020 as a takeout establishment.
This style of cooking is also being incorporated in the local traditions and festivities. Eid-ul-Adha (also spelled Eid-ul-Azha), is one of the two major annual Islamic festivals, and was commemorated from June 17 to 19 this year. Practicing Muslims sacrifice cows or goats as part of the holiday ritual. Many local restaurants will cook the meat of those animals, and in more recent years, cooking them “Texas style” has become a more popular option.
“On Eid we offer customers the opportunity to bring the meat, and we smoke it for them,” Asim says. “We request them to give us specific cuts so that we can deliver them the perfect Texan barbecue for Eid-ul-Azha. Our beef ribs and mutton shank are especially popular.”
Dickey’s offers special deals on various festivals, including the two Eids. And given their popularity, the offers on various meat dishes are invariably extended long beyond the holidays.
“Dickey’s has become the locals’ go-to place to enjoy meat, especially when they are craving the authentic Texan cuisine,” Zaidi said. “Once the protest movement subsides, we plan on opening more outlets across Pakistan. Texan barbecue has become a part of Pakistan’s food culture, and it is only going to become more popular.”
