Many products and businesses come from tough situations, and Back 9 Dips’ story is no exception. David and Dominique Mealy met when David moved to Tampa, Florida, to work for well-known golf companies.
During an economic downturn, David lost his job while Dominique was eight months pregnant. The couple worked together to find a way to improve their financial situation.
Even though David’s career in the golf industry ended, he gave a nod to the sport by naming their new venture Back 9 Catering. David had always wanted to be a chef, so he decided to try a new career making barbecue.
It was during this time that they created a chicken dip that their customers always praised. They partnered with a Tampa radio personality named Bubba the Love Sponge and started selling Bubba’s Chicken Dip under the name Back 9 Dips.
The Mealys needed help from the Sharks to increase production and expand the distribution of their new product.
Did the Sharks invest?
The Mealys appeared on Season 4, Episode 4 of “Shark Tank,” which aired in October 2012. They asked for $150,000 in exchange for a 15% stake in their business. They described Back 9 Dips as a combination of two popular snacks often enjoyed while watching sports — chicken wings and chips and dip.
Although Daymond John called the dip a “chicken Slurpee,” Lori Greiner said it was “delicious.” The Mealys stayed calm while the Sharks joked about the blended chicken.
Kevin O’Leary asked about their sales, and David shared that in two years of selling their dips in stores, they made about $400,000 and had nearly 400 accounts. To show how popular their product was, David mentioned that Back 9 Dips was hitting its weekly sales target every day at a large Florida supermarket.
When it was time for the Sharks to decide on offers, Lori Greiner and Mark Cuban decided not to invest, even though they liked the product, because they didn’t think they were the right investors to help Back 9 Dips succeed. O’Leary and Herjavec also chose not to invest.
While John was unsure about making an offer, Greiner said she would like to team up with him. In the end, John decided not to take a chance, but Herjavec changed his mind and agreed to join Greiner in offering $150,000 for 25%. The emotional Mealys agreed to the deal.
What happened to Back 9 Dips after appearing on Shark Tank?
Things seemed promising for Back 9 Dips because the product was tasty, the founders were dedicated, and the dips were already doing well in stores.
The Back 9 dip line was successfully marketed as a high-quality product, selling for about $8 to $9 per pound and wholesaling for $5.25. These were good profits, especially since the cost to make the product was only $2.52 per pound.
Back 9 offered three different chicken dip flavors under Bubba’s brand — Southern Sweet Heat, Buffalo Blue Cheese, and Buffalo. David Mealy believed the company’s success was mainly due to the use of high-quality ingredients.
For the buffalo chicken dip, chicken breast was one of the first ingredients listed. The dip also contained cayenne pepper-based buffalo wing sauce, ranch dressing, and cream cheese. Back 9’s products were sold in many stores, including Publix, Walmart, Safeway, Sam’s Club, and Walgreens.
Is Back 9 Dips still in business?
Sadly, Back 9 Dips faced a major issue they couldn’t overcome, and the brand is no longer in business. In June 2013, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service issued a recall for 12,560 pounds of Bubba’s Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Dip (according to the FDA).
The dip contained anchovies — a common allergen — as an ingredient, but the label did not properly list it. The dips were sold both online and in stores in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio.
The mistake was traced back to a new dressing with anchovies being used at the Florida production plant, ECRS, LLC. It’s unclear whether the founders were aware of the change. Luckily, no deaths or illnesses were linked to the Back 9 Dips product.
The last post on the Bubba Chicken Dip feed on X, previously known as Twitter, was made on April 4, 2014. The Back 9 Dips website is no longer active.
Back 9 Dips Net Worth: After Shark Tank
The company’s value at the time was $1 million, but it has since gone out of business. Because of this, Back 9 Dips’ current net worth is not available.
The reason for the business closing was the company’s failure to list anchovies, an allergen, as an ingredient in their dip. As a result, the USDA required them to recall 112,500 pounds of BUBBA’s Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Dip. Back 9 Dips couldn’t recover from this and shut down shortly after.
David is now a Regional Sales Manager for Nat Sherman, a company that makes handmade cigars and premium cigarettes, and his wife, Nique, works as a Field Marketing Manager for a restaurant chain based in Orlando.
Back 9 Dips Shark Tank update
Bubba, The Love Sponge, was a small partner in the company. David says that neither Lori nor Robert had an issue with this. The dip was named BUBBA’s Chicken Dip in the end.
Nique was in charge of marketing and community events after the show. At the same time, David said he was focusing on improving manufacturing because of the exposure from the show.
After the show aired, sales went up, and the Mealys started expanding their distribution. It was easy for them to get an agreement with Costco.
However, they didn’t have much time before they faced a serious problem. The USDA recalled BUBBA’s Buffalo Blue Cheese Chicken Dip after the company failed to mention that anchovies, an allergen, were an ingredient in the dip.
Because of this, grocery stores and online retailers in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio had already begun selling the dip.
Unfortunately, the company could not recover from the recall and had to shut down all its operations.
David Mealey is now working for Nat Sherman, a company that specializes in hand-rolled cigars and “luxury cigarettes,” as a Regional Sales Manager.
Nique works as the Field Marketing Manager for a restaurant business based in Orlando.
[Updated: 03/31/2025]
