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Success Story

Dickey’s Barbecue

Albert Barreno
Dickey’s Barbecue
Dickey's owner
Merced, California
Restaurants
Challenge

Solution

“I know payroll with Hourly will be done well—and right. Payroll is easy for me. We went from paper checks to being totally paperless with Hourly. This presents a better scenario for my employees because it’s easy. They don’t have to worry about going to the bank or picking up a paycheck in-store. Even better, they get paid a day or two earlier.”

—Albert Barreno

Dickey’s Barbecue Cuts Costs in Half with Hourly

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit was founded in 1941 in Texas but opened in California for the first time less than two decades ago. Longtime restaurant industry veteran Albert Barreno opened his first Dickey’s store in Merced—the 88th in California—in December 2015. Today it’s a small but mighty crew of four employees.  

So Long Complex Payroll, Hello Streamlined Service

When the payroll and workers’ comp needs of Dickey’s Barbecue Pit shifted, owner Albert Barreno searched for a new service provider. He was eying retirement and taking on a lighter workload—he no longer needed many of the features offered by his payroll provider.

“I used to operate a ton of restaurants at once and I needed all the expensive bells and whistles from a big payroll company,” Albert said. “But my needs have changed. I now only operate one store and I was looking to simplify things. Hourly meets those needs and  has met them from day one.” 

Albert turned to Hourly to simplify things by syncing the restaurant’s payroll with its workers’ comp policy. Albert’s premiums adjust automatically as his business needs shrink, saving him money along the way.

Before switching to Hourly, Albert’s payroll cost was about $300 each month per restaurant.

“There was a time when I was operating ten different restaurants and had a ton of staff on hand,” Albert said, explaining this ballooned the price of his payroll service to $3,000 a month.

His new cost since switching to Hourly? Just $82 per pay period—just $164 a month.

Hourly’s pay-as-you-go workers' comp calculates premiums with unparalleled accuracy using real-time data—and charges businesses precisely for the coverage they need even when their needs change like Albert’s. 

Another benefit Albert loves since moving to Hourly? The customer service. 

“I wanted to have more one-on-one interactions with my payroll provider’s customer service. I didn’t have that luxury before and that’s something I get with Hourly. If I have a problem, I’m one phone call away—and my customer success manager is always there.” 

As Albert and Dickey’s Barbecue Pit look to the future, he leans on Hourly to save time running payroll.

“Hourly is convenient. I have confidence that my payroll needs are going to be taken care of and if something goes wrong, it’s easy to get someone on the phone to help me out. I’ve been in the restaurant business for a long time and payroll is one of the good things—the easiest things—about it. I highly recommend Hourly to others in the restaurant industry if they are looking for confidence and great service.” 

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