Smokey Mo's BBQ Hires Dine Brands Vet for Texas Growth

A Hire That Signals the Next Chapter

Smokey Mo's BBQ just made a hire that says a lot about where the brand wants to go next. The Texas barbecue franchise has named Von Dawson as its Vice President of Franchise Development, pulling in an executive with deep roots at some of the biggest names in casual dining to help steer its growth across the state.

Building the Right Way, Not Just Fast

Smokey Mo's has built its reputation on smoking Texas classics in-house every day and backing that up with fast, friendly service. Dawson's job now is to make sure more of those restaurants get built, and get built the right way. He'll lead franchise development for the brand, focused on lining up qualified franchise partners and expanding the company's footprint in both new and existing Texas markets.

That work lands at a moment when Smokey Mo's is also tightening up the operational side of the business, from restaurant-level performance to franchisee support, so the foundation can actually hold the weight of faster growth.

A Resume Built on Scale

Dawson comes to Smokey Mo's from Dine Brands Global, where he most recently served as Director of Franchise Sales, running franchise sales across three brands: IHOP, Applebee's, and Fuzzy's Taco Shop. That's a resume built on scale. He's spent his career helping established restaurant brands find the right operators, build real relationships, and push into new markets, and he carries the Certified Franchise Executive designation from the International Franchise Association to back it up.

"Smokey Mo's stood out to me because of how much opportunity there is ahead of the concept with its standout identity and operating model," Dawson said. "Barbecue remains a relatively underserved category in franchising, which creates a unique opportunity for Smokey Mo's to bring an established brand to more Texas operators and communities. There's a strong story to tell prospective owners about the business, the team supporting them and the role they can play in what comes next. I'm looking forward to building on that foundation and introducing Smokey Mo's to operators who see the same potential in this brand that I do."

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22 Restaurants and a Steadier Path Forward

The timing matters. Smokey Mo's currently runs 22 restaurants across the Austin, San Antonio, and Houston areas, with more already in the pipeline. Rather than chase rapid, unchecked expansion, the company has stuck to a steadier approach, one built on stronger operations and better franchisee support, all while keeping the food, service, and neighborhood feel that have kept guests coming back for more than 25 years.

The franchise model itself is built to be lean: a smaller restaurant footprint, a tighter labor structure, multiple dayparts, and a growing catering business. It's a setup that looks designed to be more financially accessible than bigger-footprint barbecue concepts, without sacrificing the upside.

Backing Growth With Infrastructure

That discipline shows up behind the counter too. Smokey Mo's has kept investing in restaurant design and kitchen efficiency to keep operations consistent store to store, and it's beefed up its digital game with a redesigned website, PAR Online Ordering, and PAR POS systems.

CEO Craig Haley framed the hire as part of that bigger push. "We're thrilled to have Von join our leadership team and bring his depth of franchise development experience to Smokey Mo's," Haley said. "He understands what experienced operators are looking for, how to build trust throughout the development process and what it takes to move from initial interest to opening restaurants. His perspective and track record will be instrumental as we look ahead to our next phase of growth in Texas."

Put the infrastructure spending next to the measured pace of new units, and a clear strategy emerges: scale slow enough to stay sustainable, but build fast enough to matter.

More Than Just Closing Deals

Dawson's mandate isn't just about closing deals. Smokey Mo's wants operators who know their communities and can build scalable portfolios under the brand over time, and Dawson will be the one identifying and developing those relationships across Texas.

That means building a pipeline of owners who fit the brand's operating model and its community-first identity, not just anyone willing to sign a franchise agreement. With barbecue still an underserved category in the franchise world, Smokey Mo's is betting that a disciplined growth story, paired with someone who's sold territory for brands the size of IHOP and Applebee's, is exactly what turns 22 restaurants into a lot more.

A Hire That Signals the Next Chapter