When unwanted smoke threatened his business, BBQ entrepreneur didn’t stall payroll – Fredericksburg Free Press

James and Tawana Wright own and operate the Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Spotsylvania. (All photos by Kathy Knotts)

The faint smell of smoke lingers in the dining room of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit in Spotsylvania. But it’s hard to tell if that’s just the smell of years of cooking brisket, pork, chicken and ribs in the kitchen or because of the fire that ravaged the tanning salon next door.  

On Aug. 23, Spotsylvania Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management were called to the shopping center on Southpoint Parkway just after lunch. But it wasn’t the barbecue that was to blame for the heat and the smoke. An electrical outlet inside Image Sun Tanning had sparked a fire, forcing employees and customers in the surrounding businesses to evacuate. No one was injured in the incident.

Thankfully the flames never reached the interior of franchisee James and Tawana Wright’s restaurant, but sections of the rafters are charred. Outside, soot is visible on the brickwork while plywood covers a portion of the shared wall between the tanning salon and Dickey’s.   

While fire and smoke were enough to force these businesses to close temporarily, the owners of Dickey’s are still waiting for the heavy water damage to be repaired.  

First responders had to tear a hole in the roof of the shopping center to get in a position to put the flames out. A shared wall had to be stripped down and the walk-in freezer and massive stove in Dickey’s had to be moved to deal with the resulting mold.  

But, throughout the ordeal, James Wright has remained optimistic.

And generous. He has continued to pay his 10 employees while the store is closed and under repair.  

A sign in the window lets customers know the restaurant is closed—temporarily.

Native New Yorkers, the Wrights left the hustle and bustle of the city behind for a slower pace in 2015, after his successful 27-year career as an accountant. James Wright’s family had lived in Hague and his cousin Roger lives in King George; Virginia was part of the family’s story. 

(Roger Wright is also a Dickey’s franchisee. In a strange coincidence, he had to temporarily close his store after a fire in that building recently.)  

“My cousin asked if I’d like to open a business with him,” recalled Wright. “So I came down, tasted the meats and said, ‘So, when do we sign the papers?’”  

The restaurant business agreed with Wright, and he repeatedly talks about his employees as if they were family. And that extends to helping support them even while the store is closed.  

“Everybody here is like family to me, so I try to treat them like family. I’m just praying that they’ll come back,” he said. He worries that some employees may be lured away by other job opportunities before the store reopens next month.   

“But I’m going to call every one of them and see what’s going on.”  

Wright’s financial sense, paired with a business manager he has consulted with since navigating the pandemic, ensured that insurance would cover the cost of restoring the restaurant and allow him to pay his employees for a few more weeks.  

Wright is hoping that the mold remediation process will buy him some additional time and some additional funds to continue doing so.  

“I’m just working to keep them (paid),” Wright said. He mentions how much he relies on his assistant manager and two shift leads.  

Dickey’s corporate team is also helping him get through the restoration process, especially as the holiday season approaches. “That’s when the staff really makes good money and we stay busy,” he said. “People come into the store with a real giving spirit.”  

Damage to the rafters can be seen in the ceiling of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit.

Generosity matters to the Wrights, as does their faith

“God is good and the devil is always busy,” he said.   

Something seems to be watching over the Wrights. They just returned from an extended cruise — extended because they were due to depart the ship in Tampa, just as Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s coast. The boat spent a few days off the coast of Cuba instead.  

The couple, who have been married for 20 years, took it as a chance to spend more time together.  

“You know, God finds a way for me,” Wright said.