This place turned out to be a money pit.

A national barbecue chain is being taken to court by numerous franchisees for allegedly misleading them with claims of sweet profits that turned out to be all smoke and mirrors — and several New York based investors say they are among those who got their nest eggs roasted.

“It was the worst financial decision I ever made,” said Scott Raifer, of his decision to buy a Dickey’s Barbecue Pit franchise and open it in Freeport, Long Island. 3

Raifer said he is now $500,000 in debt and facing foreclosure on his home after taking out a Small Business Administration loan to open the eatery in December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It closed in June 2022 — less than two years later.

“I was under the incorrect assumption that we were in business

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