Ever bored at a party? Spice up the conversation with this incendiary device: "(My hometown) has the best barbecue in the country."

Few foods inspire as much partisan squabbling.

Whether it's brisket in Texas, pulled pork in the Southeast or beef ribs in Chicago, there are about as many variations of meat + smoke + sauce as there are opinions about which version reigns supreme.

Into this skirmish steps a seasoned Dallas restaurant operator.

Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants Inc. plans to "take barbecue mainstream" in a risky bid to become a national chain.

Dickey's, which opened Oct. 1, 1941, but only began franchising in 1994, has more than 85 locations in 13 states. It's already the third-biggest barbecue chain in the U.S., according to Keith Gellman, publisher of Restaurantchains.net, an Irvington, N.Y., research firm that tracks chain growth.

And the company's planning a growth spurt that Roland Dickey Jr., president and grandson of founder Travis Dickey, calls "exponential."

Dickey's plans to end 2008 with 115 restaurants in 21 states – 95 percent of them owned by franchisees, Mr. Dickey said.

Next year, the barbecue brand plans to open 85 restaurants – more than triple the number opened in 2007,when the company had $175 million in sales.

Within a few years, the annual openings should tally at least 100. Mr. Dickey is convinced that the nearly vertical trajectory will make his barbecue chain the largest in the U.S.

"We're doing something that has never been done before," said Mr. Dickey, as workers readied smoked brisket and fixin's at the new prototype restaurant on Wycliff Avenue in Dallas. "Nobody has ever taken quick-service barbecue nationwide before. And it is as exciting as hell."

Other barbecue chains, such as Tony Roma's, have been large sit-down restaurants with waiters.

Dickey's plans restaurants more on the size and business model of Panera Bread or Chipotle – smaller, where guests order and pay at the counter. The "fast-casual" model can reduce labor and real estate costs.

Also, the average Dickey's patron pays less than $9 for a meal, compared with $13 at some full-service barbecue joints.

Mr. Dickey said the restaurants' size and price point will give him an edge.

Still, that major restaurant operators have seen their hopes for national scope go up in smoke is, for some, a cautionary tale.

"In barbecue, there's no one that's become a huge and massive success," said Mr. Gellman of Restaurantchains .net.

"Although classical barbecue cuisine chains are growing, we have yet to identify any chain [that] has achieved broad national acceptance with more than 200 units nationwide. We suspect regional taste differences and styles of barbecue are why," he said.

Of 4,000 chains in his database, only 117 specialize in barbecue. Of those, only 18 chains have 25 or more locations. By comparison, there are nearly 70 sandwich chains with more than two dozen outlets, Mr. Gellman said.

The largest U.S. barbecue brand on his and Technomic's list is Famous Dave's, a full-service chain based in Minnetonka, Minn. It has grown from 73 outlets in 2002 to 170 today.

Next is Maitland, Fla.,-based Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q, which has 137 restaurants in nine Southeastern states and none in Texas. That's down from 153 in 2003.

Even with barbecue chains expanding across the country, "I don't know that anybody is going to be the next Starbucks in barbecue," Mr. Gellman said. "Probably not. The taste variations are too different, and people have different expectations of what barbecue is supposed to be."

Mr. Dickey said his chain recognizes the need to regionalize – somewhat. He serves hush puppies in North Carolina and corn bread in Missouri.

But even when the company bows to regional tastes, items with broad appeal still sell best, he said. For example, the company found that its customers preferred its traditional barbecue sauce, which is "tomato-based, semi-sweet, semi-spicy."

In Nashville, Tenn., several years ago, "we went in with a mustard-based sauce," he said. "Nobody ate it. Nobody wanted it.

"As far as our strategy, we want to have the kind of food that appeals to everybody around the country," he said.

"We're just trying to do what's not been done before. We think it can be done, and we're going to prove it."

Founded by: Travis Dickey

When: Oct. 1, 1941

Where: The first restaurant was the location off Henderson Avenue at 4610 N. Central Expressway in Dallas.

You love the smoky meat slathered in sauce, but how much do you really know about barbecue? With so many permutations, you could spend days sampling the different styles. (Not a bad assignment.) Here are some of the most popular:

St. Louis cut rib:Meaty pork sparerib.

Baby back rib: Cut from near the backbone; smaller and less meaty than St. Louis ribs but more tender.

Pulled pork: Slow-cooked, tender, shredded meat.

Brisket: Beef, cut from the breast or lower chest and slow-smoked.

Beef back ribs: Large bones, made when the bone is separated from the rib or prime rib roast.

Mustard-based sauce: Yellow sauce usually made of mustard and vinegar, and seasoned with herbs or peppers; popular in South Carolina and parts of Florida and Georgia.

Tomato-based sauce: The most popular barbecue sauce in the U.S. In Texas, the sauces can be thinner, with a black pepper kick. Kansas City sauces are thicker and sweeter.

SOURCES: Dallas Morning News research; Famous Dave's; Sonny's; Dickey's