Star of the Poynton dining scene, Hickory’s Smokehouse, are firing up the smokers in readiness for their long-awaited re-opening on Friday 10th July.

Almost a year to the day since they first opened their doors, the team said they couldn’t be happier to be back where they belong re-opening the restaurant, firing up the smokers and welcoming everyone back. For anyone who has been missing out on a Hicks fix you will find all your favourite BBQ dishes will be back on the menu. Rest assured the smokehouse classics such as Texas style brisket, ribs and wings will all be making an appearance, along with burnt ends, southern fried chicken & of course the Chicken Fried Waffle.

A roller-coaster year

From the high of opening last summer and being welcomed so warmly by the local community, to the devastating local floods and challenges of lockdown, the team said the support they have received from neighbours and regulars is what has kept them going.

‘The local community here in Poynton are just amazing,’ commented Hickory’s General Manager Adam Mitchell. ‘From the floods last summer, to lockdown, we’ve all supported each other and we feel so humbled to be part of such an incredible local network.’

The place to be this summer

The team will be making the most of their secluded garden and wrap around veranda this summer, making Hickory’s the place to be for a relaxed family meal or get-together.

With extra garden-seating and plenty of space inside the restaurant, guests can expect all the usual Hickory’s feel with plenty of their famed Southern hospitality.

 ‘The garden will be a really cool place to spend a few hours over the summer months,’ said Adam, ‘And we already have exciting plans in place to develop it as we head on into the autumn.’

The team have been working hard behind the scenes too, ‘All the guys have been sprucing up their serving skills after what we are calling their extended ‘Spring Break’. ‘They cannot wait to get back to smoking, mixing, shaking and serving your Hickory’s favourites and we can’t wait to welcome you back.’

Hibernation has been a busy time for everyone. From serving up slushies on sunny days, to pricing up plants and flogging flowers at the pop-up garden centre, along with creating their innovative Curbside Pick-Up service and cherishing the charity runs for Hits Radio Cash for Kids. The team have managed to raise a staggering £65,000 for the local charity along with their own team of chefs have created and delivered over 1000 of the 3200 meals for local families.  

Making Hickory’s as safe a place as possible

There have also been some cool new changes and innovative additions to the current layout to ensure diners can return safely, without losing any of the much-loved Hickory’s experience.

With their own unique guest ‘Safety Pledge’ in place, the team are ready to get back to business and do what they do best, looking after guests and offering some true Southern hospitality.

It’s been a hard time for the hospitality industry and a very uncertain period for everyone involved. Founder Neil McDonnell has said that although plans to open their newest site in Wilmslow will ‘remain on ice’ whilst they concentrate on re-opening their existing sites, they are still very much focused on expanding their Manchester footprint with Wilmslow and will be reassessing the whole project later in the year.

Neil also extended his thanks to everyone who has reached out to the team in Poynton ‘We’ve had so much support from our regulars, guests and the local community and that is what has kept us going throughout lockdown. It’s been a devastating time for our industry but all the messages, emails and social media posts we’ve had have been incredibly humbling and so heart-warming for the whole team. We can’t wait to get back to doing what we love, showing our guests some real Southern hospitality, albeit with a few less handshakes.”

They are taking bookings now and will be open officially from Friday 10th July and will be opening from 11am every day. Keep your eyes on their website and social media channels for any updates.

www.hickorys.co.uk