Back 9 Dips Update | Season 4
If you’ve ever wished for more ways to enjoy buffalo chicken, you’re in luck! David and Nique Mealy have come up with a line of buffalo chicken dips that they think will be a game changer in the market. Will it earn them a deal on
Shark Tank Back 9 Dips Update
- Entrepreneurs: David and Nique Mealey
- Business: Buffalo chicken dips
- Ask: $150,000 for 15% equity
- Result: $150,000 for 25% equity
- Sharks: Robert Herjavec and Lori Greiner
Back 9 Dips founders David and Nique entered
Although Kevin was dying from laughter, Lori Greiner piped up and told David and Nique that the flavor was actually very good. Despite the “blended chicken” image that had Kevin in stitches, the sharks overall felt the taste was good.
After he regained his composure, Mr. Wonderful asked about the sales and learned that Back 9 Dips had sold $400,000 over a 2-year period, securing 400 accounts including major supermarket chains.
At a $2.52 cost, $5.25 wholesale, and $7.99 to $8.99 MSRP, the sharks were quite pleased with the margins and product performance thus far.
Lori cut to the chase first and, although she applauded their performance so far, she felt she was the wrong partner for Back 9 Dips and went out of the tank first.
Mark Cuban was next to follow, stating that part of his success comes from “knowing what you’re good at” and “knowing what you’re not good at” and sharing that he would not be good for Back 9 Dips.
Kevin went out next. He had no issue with the “blended chicken,” of course, but felt Back 9 Dips was a start-up and contained more risk than he was willing to accept as an investor.
Robert Herjavec was next to leave the tank, stating that food distribution is a “brutal business” and he simply wants no part of it.
Daymond John shared that he felt very conflicted. On the one hand, he felt the business was cutthroat and he was worried about assuming the risk.
On the other hand, he liked the Mealeys, as did all of the sharks, and felt that they deserved a shot.
Lori agreed with Daymond’s sentiment about giving the Mealeys a shot, so she came back in and asked Daymond if he would consider going in with her on a deal to give $150,000 in exchange for 25%.
Unfortunately, Daymond declined, as he simply didn’t feel he could provide value.
Robert, echoing Lori’s sentiment, came back in as well, and said he would partner with Lori to provide Back 9 Dips the $150,000 in exchange for 25% of the company.
David and Nique agreed and the deal was made. What happened after
After the episode aired, the Back 9 Dips expanded to over 1,400 stores nationwide. However, in 2013, disaster struck.
In our Back 9 Dips update research, we found that the USDA identified anchovies in the dip and categorized it as “an undeclared allergen,” forcing a recall that ultimately led to the company closing in 2014.
At the time of writing, Nique Mealey is a sales and marketing specialist for Gigpro, while David returned to his former career in golf and is the Head Technician at the Heron Creek Golf and Country Club.
This will be our final Back 9 Dips update.
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Andrew Smith is the founder and owner of Shark Tank Recap. He is a longtime Shark Tank fan that has been watching it for years and has seen every episode multiple times. His friends know him as the Shark Tank expert, because he can answer any question about the show! His favorite Shark Tank products are Bertello's pizza oven and Bug Bite Thing!