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IN THE NEWS

View the full article <a href="https://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/news/2017/12/15/alexa-brief-me-on-this-customer-how-a-frisco.html">here</a>.&nbsp;Three years ago, when Amazon introduced the voice assistant Alexa and accompanying devices like the Echo and Echo Dot, iOLAP Founder and CEO Chris Jordan was among the first wave of customers. A big data and analytics consultancy, iOLAP already had a relationship with the Amazon Web Services side of the Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) equation. But right away, Jordan saw potential to bring this new consumer product to the enterprise world. “We started playing with it to figure out — how can we use this same interface, but for business?” Jordan said. “The same types of databases that we’ve accessed for analytics purposes, let’s try to go after them with our voice instead of with a mouse or touchscreen.” At first, it was all conceptual, then the company started building out a couple hypothetical proof of concepts. The idea gained some steam when Jordan got Dickey’s Barbecue Pit, a longtime customer, to sign on under proof of concept. Then, last month, iOLAP’s progress got a boost when Amazon announced, at AWS’ re:Invent conference, a series of partnerships to bring Alexa to the business world. While other companies may look to streamline teleconferencing or use the Alexa for commands like turning on and off office lights, iOLAP will continue to focus its efforts on allowing customers access to their systems via voice commands. “We’re told we’re the only people that are tackling that problem,” Jordan said. As it applies to Dickey’s, iOLAP's approach means making a simple part of employees’ days easier. Traditionally, someone has to manually record the temperatures of the meat at certain points in the process, either by writing it down or entering it into the computer, Jordan said, which requires putting on an taking back off gloves. iOLAP built the company a way to have Alexa record the temperature employees tell it, a less disruptive process. Another use case iOLAP is planning for involves the mobile salesperson, which could access a customer’s portfolio from anywhere with a command such as, “Alexa, brief me on customer X." And because Amazon allows the functionality of Alexa to be built into some apps – rather than run solely on the Echo or Dot – a sales team wouldn’t need additional hardware to gain voice command capabilities. For iOLAP, the AWS partnership is the cherry on top of an impressive two-year run. Jordan founded the company in 2000, before the term “big data” existed, although the idea hasn't changed much: find cost-effective ways to store data and allow clients meaningful access to it. A couple years ago, as growth had started to stall, Jordan brought in two managing partners, Don Mettica and Craig Rich. The two have fueled back-to-back years of about 45-percent growth. With a development team in Croatia, iOLAP now has about 175 employees globally. “We changed our philosophy and our approach to the market from a technology focus to much more of a solving-business-problems focus,” Jordan said. “It’s resonated really well.”

Dallas Business Journal: “Alexa, brief me on this customer:” How a Frisco company is bringing Amazon's Alexa to the enterprise

View the full segment <a href="http://www.kvoa.com/story/37011550/news-4-cooks-polish-jalapeo-cheddar-sausage">here</a>.&nbsp;

KVOA: News 4 Cooks: Polish & Jalapeno Cheddar Sausage

View the full segment <a href="http://www.kvoa.com/story/36988486/news-4-cooks-hickory-smoked-chicken">here</a>.&nbsp;

KVOA: News 4 Cooks: Hickory Smoked Chicken

View the full article <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/dickey-s-offering-prime-rib-holiday-feast-go">here</a>.&nbsp;Dickey’s Barbecue Pit offers stress-free holiday meal options for guests, which means more time with family and less time in the kitchen. This year, guests can deck the table with Dickey’s savory Prime Rib while taking all the credit with none of the hassle. Dickey’s offers everything from a single Prime Rib to a full Holiday Feast complete with baked potato casserole, green beans, cornbread dressing and a dozen of Dickey’s famous, buttery rolls. For the first time at participating locations, guests have the opportunity to have their holiday meal delivered by one of Dickey’s delivery partners or directly from the store. “Family is the most important part of the holidays and we are thrilled to have our meals be a part of families’ traditions across the nation,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit. “Dickey's is committed to putting family first, and we are proud to offer our guests a simple solution to one of the most complex aspects of the holiday season, filling the table with a memorable holiday meal.” Dickey’s holiday meal options can be found online or at your local Dickey’s location. Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the nation's largest barbecue chain was founded in 1941 by Travis Dickey. Today, all meats are still slow smoked on-site in each restaurant. The Dallas-based family-run barbecue franchise offers several slow-smoked meats and home style sides with 'No B.S. (Bad Stuff)' included. The fast-casual concept has expanded to more than 550 locations in 44 states.

QSR: Dickey’s Offering Prime Rib Holiday Feast To-Go

View the full segment <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHj1_BG5qh8&amp;feature=youtu.be">here</a>.&nbsp;

CBS 11: Holiday with Dickey's

<div>View the full segment <a href="http://gooddaysacramento.cbslocal.com/video/3764841-holiday-meals-with-dickeys/">here</a>.&nbsp;</div>

Good Morning Sacramento: Holiday Meals with Dickey's

View the full article <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/news/dickey-s-now-selling-beans-texas-grocery-stores">here</a>.&nbsp;Dickey’s Barbecue Pit lovers in the state of Texas now have the ease of enjoying five flavors of Dickey’s beans at home by purchasing them at Brookshire’s locations across the state. The partnership between Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and Brookshire’s allows for guests to purchase Dickey’s Original Barbecue Beans, Brown Sugar Hickory Barbecue Beans, Jalapeno Beans, Sweet Molasses Barbecue Beans and Texas Barbecue Beans. “We are honored to partner with Brookshire’s Grocery as they are a well-established brand in the state of Texas,” says Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. “Giving folks the option to purchase Dickey’s Barbecue Pit products at the grocery store makes it easier on them to continue to enjoy a variety of Dickey’s delicious beans from the comfort of their own home.” Brookshire’s is now selling Dickey’s Barbecue Pit beans in 158 of their locations across the state of Texas.

QSR: Dickey’s Now Selling Beans in Texas Grocery Stores

View the full article <a href="https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/free-bbq-for-year-new-local-dickey-bbq-pit-launches-specials-today/uvcWD33iT02DHz08CXtUBO/">here</a>.&nbsp;Dickey’s Barbecue Pit , which opened at 752 Gardner Road in Springboro three weeks ago, will launch a month of introductory special offers today with a giveaway of “free barbecue for a year” to three customers. The restaurant across Ohio 741 from the Settler’s Walk retail center is the first Dickey’s in the Dayton area, and it is operated by Dickey’s franchise owners Kevin and Randy Daniel, who oversee two other Cincinnati-area locations. The new Springboro restaurant will offer $2 Pulled Pork Sandwiches on Saturday, December 2 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Then, the new Dickey’s Barbecue Pit will offer the following specials and giveaways over the next four weeks: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is offering four weeks of specials at its new Springboro location. FILE Staff Writer Thirsty Thursdays: Customers will receive a free Big Yellow Cup with free refills all day. Philanthropy Fridays: Customers who donate to Dickey’s charitable foundation, Barbecue, Boots &amp; Badges, will receive a gift card as a thank you for their donation. All uniformed first responders also receive 50 percent off their meal. Smokin’ Saturday: Customers may register to win free barbecue for a year. Kids Eat Free Sundays: Kids eat free with an adult purchase of $10 or more. “Dickey’s Barbecue Pit always has been a family-run, family-oriented business and that is something we pride ourselves on,” Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., said in a release. “Having experienced franchisees, such as the Daniel brothers, eager to open new locations is a testament not only to the success of our business, but the brand as a whole.” Founded in 1941, Dickey’s bills itself as “the nation’s largest barbecue chain,” operating more than 550 locations in 45 states. The Dallas-based chain operates locations in Mason, South Lebanon and Amelia in southwest Ohio, and three in central Ohio north of Columbus. It offers traditional Texas-style barbecue meats that are smoked in-house at each restaurant. In 2016, Dickey’s won first place on a “Top 100 Movers and Shakers” list assembled by Fast Casual, a publication and web site that cover the fast-casual segment of the restaurant industry. The Springboro restaurant’s regular hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. For more information about the Springboro location, check out its Facebook page or call (937) 550-4826.

Dayton Daily News: FREE BBQ FOR A YEAR: New local Dickey’s BBQ Pit launches specials today

View the full article <a href="https://siliconangle.com/blog/2017/11/30/alexa-welcome-office-amazon-calls-voice-techs-next-big-disruption/">here</a>.&nbsp; Alexa is headed to the office. Her job: reinventing information technology at every business. Amazon.com Inc.’s cloud computing unit today announced that its voice assistant, currently residing mostly on its Echo line of smart speakers in people’s kitchens and living rooms, will be coming to business offices. Alexa for Business is intended to be used in conference rooms and other office settings, and Amazon’s hope is that they will usher in a new round of business-oriented applications that use voice as the key interface. The move is an attempt by Amazon to reinforce its lead in voice assistants, which to date have been used for everyday things such as requesting to play songs, controlling a Roomba or calling an Uber. Apple Inc.’s Siri, Google Inc.’s Assistant, Microsoft Corp.’s Cortana and others view these smart speakers and services as both the next battleground for people’s attention and for a new generation of voice-driven applications. For example, with integrations with phone systems from Cisco Systems Inc., Polycom and others, people will no longer have to type in conference I.D. to join meetings. Instead, they could say, “Alexa, join my meeting” and smarts behind it, knowing people’s calendars and the like, will connect them to the right call. Vogels also highlighted integrations with business applications companies such as Salesforce.com Inc., so sales managers could ask, “Alexa, ask Salesforce which big deals closed today.” Or Splunk Inc. could enable answers to, say, “What were the sales totals for yesterday in San Francisco?” Other companies working with Alexa for Business include WeWork, Vonage, Capital One, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and BMC. “Our customers are capturing machine data and want to extend the value of that data to their business users,” said Jon Rooney, head of product marketing at Splunk. “We felt that building our own natural language platform and partnering with Amazon to bring data and insights to business users via Alexa for Business would be a great opportunity to accelerate this vision.” It may take awhile for Alexa for Business to offer much help outside private offices and conference rooms, noted Mike Fitzmaurice,&nbsp; vice president of workflow technology at Nintex, a process automation platform. “If a TV show can accidentally trigger Alexa, as has been seen on the consumer side, imagine what an open office environment would do,” he said. “Alexa in particular has not prioritized identifying individual voices, and while they just announced Alexa For You, we don’t know how well it works just yet, or whether it’s for security as opposed to just personalization.” Still, he sees potential for it to work well for conference room technology, employee communication and submission of requests in lieu of forms that can be routed to other people for approval. “This is yet another workplace technology that will reduce barriers to action for employees, and it will increase productivity and efficiency in the long run,” he said. Reinventing ITBut the implications for Amazon and business information technology alike are far broader. Alexa’s transfer to the office also underscores Amazon Web Services Inc.’s attempt to corral more large enterprises to migrate to its cloud. Although AWS has cemented its lead in the base-level cloud computing, storage and networking services both with startups and an increasing number of large companies, most of the latter still have most of their core software and hardware in their own data centers. To make more inroads into the entire $1 trillion-plus IT industry for which Chief Executive Andy Jassy has said he thinks his company can one day become the largest supplier, AWS needs to provide more services to make it easier for enterprises to move to the cloud. That will require higher-level services and applications such as Alexa. Even more broadly, the move reveals Amazon’s recognition that artificial intelligence and machine learning will be driving much of the innovation in both business IT and even everyday access to the digital world going forward. The need to make sense of ever-increasing amounts of data produced by applications and machines are requiring new ways to help machines make their own decisions based on learning from data, rather than being explicitly programmed, using software known as deep learning neural networks. “The interfaces of the future will be human-centered,” Amazon Chief Technology Officer Werner Vogels (pictured) said during a morning keynote Thursday at AWS’s annual re:Invent conference in Las Vegas. Vogels intimated that voice wouldn’t be the only new interface, suggesting that toothbrushes, for instance, could have sensors that provide haptic feedback on whether people are brushing correctly. But it’s clear Amazon believes it’s the next big one. “Voice unlocks digital systems for everyone,” he said. “Voice represents the first disruption driven by the capabilities of deep learning. Voice represents the next major disruption in computing.” Vogels also made the case to software developers at re:Invent to consider it a new platform for business applications. “You can put Alexa into anything,” he said. Alexa’s new role is also part of AWS’s attempt to make cloud computing simpler and make it accessible to more companies and their software developers. Vogels noted that since the first re:Invent conference in 2013, the company has added 3,959 major new features. “I know these 3,959 features and services can be confusing,” he said.

Silicon Angle: ‘Alexa, welcome to the office’: Amazon calls out voice as tech’s next big disruption

We are thankful for our guests.<o:p></o:p>We are thankful for our team.<o:p></o:p>We are closed&nbsp;today,&nbsp;so that our folks can celebrate Thanksgiving with their family.<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>







We look forward to serving your family again tomorrow!<o:p></o:p>

Happy Thanksgiving!

View the full article <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/start-finish-what-inspires-execs/what-inspires-dickey-s-ceo-laura-rea-dickey?utm_campaign=20171121&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=jolt&amp;microsite=535511">here</a>.&nbsp;It’s kind of an irony that I have ended up “in the kitchen,” because from a culinary standpoint, I have no business being there. I often promise new owner-operators that I will have nothing to do with our food other than taste-testing. What I love about our business and the segment is that it offers so many doorways into a really lucrative career. Roland [Dickey Jr.] and I were married when I was working in marketing and technology. When we hit the 2008 recession, he said we could ride out the storm or we could take this opportunity to grow in a really challenging situation. I told him we’re made for the latter, and he said, “You have expertise that we can’t afford in other traditional avenues, but if you joined the company in a consulting role, we can see how that works out and take it from there.” I joined to formalize marketing and community marketing, technology, and communications. We uncovered all these opportunities—if we could only spend less time mining our data and instead make it actionable. When Roland was promoted to our holding company, it was a natural fit to adjust my role to CEO since I’d had the opportunity to work with so many different departments. One of the things I’ve learned from my father-in-law and Roland: You’re doing the best in business when you’re not the smartest person in the room. I’m fortunate enough to say that our team is full of many smarter, more capable, and more experienced people. I do think that spending eight years in so many different roles in the company is the only way that I am even mildly qualified to sit in the chair I’m in today. It’s really been wonderful taking our big data initiative, Smoke Stack, to the next level. It started in the back of the house, and now we’ve rolled out marketing initiatives and customer sentiment analysis. We’re also launching a consumer app in the iOS store. The final piece is Alexa. When you’re in a kitchen, you have to un-glove to switch from pit master to general manager. But if your data can talk to you while you’re in the middle of the shift, it reduces that final barrier. What is the best piece of advice you think quick-service executives should hear?Food and folks are equally valuable. You should never be too far away from either. You should be committed to your culinary as much as you’re committed to your people. What’s your favorite menu item at Dickey’s?Pulled Pork Sandwich with cheddar, no sauce—which might be slightly controversial, but I’m a no-sauce girl. What’s your favorite type of food, excluding barbecue?A good steak or great Thai food. Who has inspired you as a leader?Jerry Murray of Murray Branding in Fort Worth. He took a chance and hired me as an intern. Many years later I asked him to head our CMO search and work with Dickey’s and audit it from the outside. That has been a great full circle. What are some of your interests outside of the business?A great book or horseback riding.

QSR: What Inspires Dickey’s CEO Laura Rea Dickey

View the full article <a href="http://www.thesnaponline.com/news/new-eatery-serves-texas-styled-barbecue/article_6cd01ee4-cdf4-11e7-9b8a-affc7efe2486.html">here</a>.&nbsp;If North Carolina had a state food, it’d be barbecue. Stanly County would pose no objections — the more barbecue joints the better. At least that’s the conclusion of the Seegars family and their market study. Randy Seegars and his son, Chance, opened a Dickey’s Barbecue Pit restaurant in Albemarle about two weeks ago. So far, the new family business is “exceeding expectations,” according to the elder Seegars. “The community has definitely come out for us,” Randy said. With more than 30 years in the restaurant industry, the Seegarses purchased a Dickey’s franchise for Albemarle. Their market study indicated patrons would support another barbecue restaurant with a slightly different take on barbecue. “The Dickey’s family is thrilled to have Randy and Chance Seegars bring Dickey’s Texas-style barbecue to their hometown of Albemarle,” said Laura Rea Dickey, chief executive officer of Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. “With experienced restauranteurs like the Seegars, the Dickey’s brand will continue to grow and serve communities across the world delicious, slow-smoked barbecue.” Dickey’s Barbecue Restaurants, Inc., the nation’s largest barbecue chain, was founded by Travis Dickey in 1941. Two styles of barbecue typically rule the Tar Heel state, eastern versus western. The two stir about as much heated debate as which cole slaw is the better complement to barbecue: red or white. If the debate wasn’t spicy enough, the barbs over which cue is better will surely go hog wild after a new local establishment decided to open another brand in the fray. Instead of western, this one hails from plain ol’ West, as in Texas. “We’re meat specialists here. We’re not going to try something that’s not in our wheelhouse,” Randy said about barbecue joints that like to fry fish, too. Barbecue enthusiasts in the Piedmont usually adhere to the western-style or the Lexington version of pulled pork, primarily defined by a variety of tomato-based sauces. Eastern style is steeped in vinegar and pepper. Dickey’s, the apostrophe before the possessive “s” denotes a star for the Lonestar state, prepares Texas-style barbecue by smoking its meats for 14 hours in a pit, or technology’s modern steel version. The ambiance at Dickey’s is casual, though a tad more upscale than other barbecue joints. Along with the traditional pulled pork, Dickey’s features beef brisket, chicken and pork ribs, too. Sides include the more traditional fixin’s like barbecue beans, slaw, potato salad and green beans. More unique sides include a baked potato casserole, creamed spinach, jalapeno beans, chips and mac &amp; cheese. Price points are slightly higher at Dickey’s than most locals are accustomed to paying, which probably accounts for why their business is better during dinner hours instead of lunch. “Our guests are more than willing to pay extra for quality,” Randy said. They also serve beer, but only craft beer varieties from The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery. Like the food, the cost for beer at Dickey’s is higher than most. Dickey’s is no stranger to North Carolina. The nearest franchise is in Southern Pines. Unlike the Seegars’ restaurant, the franchise farther east features a fryer and serves more foods. While most things in Texas are promoted as bigger, Albemarle’s Dickey’s is among the smallest franchise units available, thus less room for a fryer, Randy said. There’s enough space for 30 guests inside Dickey’s. In fact, the outside deck provides room for 35 guests. Expect heaters to be added to the patio so the colder months are more tolerable. Dickey’s features an open-kitchen so customers can watch the preparation of their meals. Dickey’s is at 720-20 N.C. Highway 24-27 Bypass East, Albemarle. It’s open daily 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

The Stanly News and Press: New eatery serves Texas-styled barbecue

View the full segment <a href="http://fox6now.com/2017/11/15/hosting-thanksgiving-dinner-some-quick-easy-dinner-ideas-that-are-sure-to-be-a-hit/">here</a>.&nbsp;

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