Real Talk with Real Owners: Matthew and Catherine Long of Shreveport, LA

There’s no stopping college sweethearts and Owner/Operators Matthew and Catherine Long, who spearheaded Dickey’s eastern Louisiana presence in The Port City. Hard to miss between their community marketing initiatives and in-store presence, Matthew and Catherine are a true representation of the expression, ‘teamwork makes the dream work.’ “Our success has been from the support we receive from the community and traveling guests. We take a lot of pride as Owner/Operators to ensure there’s a great product going out of the door each day,” shares Catherine Long.

The husband and wife duo’s Shreveport and Bossier City stores are the talk of the town. “From the commercials to the billboards, the marketing team has done a great job in their media placements. We love when people traveling here from Texas or other parts of Louisiana visit our store because of the advertising. They frequently share that this is the best barbecue they’ve had,” says Catherine.

Currently maintaining 15 percent in catering sales, the two have a strong focus on face-to-face engagement that extends outside of the store. “It is imperative that Owner/Operators get involved in their community. We move mountains to ensure that we are turning our catering and dine-in guests into repeat customers.”

Believing they are in charge of their own destiny, there’s a lot more to come from The Longs as they expect to open two additional stores in the near future.

Motivated to make people happy through his commitment in events and food, Wesley shares, “The most rewarding experience is being able to serve people and hear them rave about the food’s quality.”