Famous Dave's of America

What Famous Dave's of America does

Famous Dave's of America, Inc. operates a franchised barbecue restaurant system founded in 1995 and headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The company oversees a network of more than 120 restaurants across North America generating nearly $400 million in system-wide sales, offering a menu built around pit-smoked ribs, brisket, and other meats, made-from-scratch sides, and handmade desserts served via dine-in, takeout, delivery, and off-premise catering. Its products and services include signature menu categories (Smokin' Apps, Award-Winning Ribs, Famous Feasts, 'Que Combos, Burgers & Sandwiches, Handmade Desserts), event catering, gift cards, and the Famous Dave's Rewards loyalty program accessible through a mobile app and website.

The business operates primarily through a franchise distribution model, with corporate revenue derived from franchise royalties and fees, company-owned unit sales (where applicable), gift card economics, and catering services. Online ordering and fulfillment are powered by the Olo platform, which integrates pickup, direct delivery, and third-party delivery partners; the mobile app (iOS/Android) layers on loyalty, push notifications, and location services. Ancillary marketing channels include email, SMS text club, social media, and a community outreach program. The corporate technology stack also includes Google Analytics for site/app usage evaluation and Facebook Connect for social sign-in.

Famous Dave's is a subsidiary of BBQ Holdings, Inc., which holds the brand and franchise rights; the company was originally public on NASDAQ under the ticker DAVE and is now privately held. Founder Dave Anderson developed the proprietary sauce, rub, and smoking recipes that anchor the brand's identity. Franchise development is actively marketed for new builds (2,500–6,000 SF) and conversions, with options for counter-service or full-service formats targeting qualified multi-unit operators.

Name

Famous Dave's of America

Legal name

Famous Dave's of America, Inc.

Website

https://famousdaves.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Famous Dave's of America is a franchised barbecue restaurant operator headquartered in Minnetonka, MN, running 120+ North American units that generate nearly $400M in system-wide sales. It serves consumers via dine-in, takeout, delivery, catering, gift cards, and a digital loyalty program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minnetonka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Dining Sales: Dine-in and takeout restaurant sales from BBQ food items including ribs, brisket, smoked meats, sides, and desserts at company-owned and franchised locations
2. Catering Services: Catering services providing authentic pit-smoked BBQ, made-from-scratch sides, and handcrafted desserts for events and gatherings
3. Gift Cards: Gift card sales across various denominations for birthdays, holidays, and special occasions
4. Delivery Services: Third-party delivery services facilitated through Olo and delivery partners for online orders

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Famous Dave's of America operates a franchise system of over 120 barbecue restaurants across North America serving pit-smoked meats (ribs, brisket, pulled pork), made-from-scratch sides, and handcrafted desserts for dine-in, takeout, and delivery. The company also provides off-site catering services for events, sells branded gift cards, and runs a mobile-app-based loyalty rewards program.

Product overview

Famous Dave's of America operates a chain of barbecue restaurants offering a menu centered on pit-smoked meats, made-from-scratch sides, and handmade desserts. The product portfolio includes signature menu categories (Smokin' Apps, Award-Winning Ribs, Famous Feasts, 'Que Combos, Burgers & Sandwiches, Handmade Desserts) available for dine-in, takeout, and delivery. Supporting services include catering for events, gift cards for gifting occasions, and the Famous Dave's Rewards loyalty program accessible via the mobile app and website. The company operates primarily as a franchised restaurant concept with over 120 locations across North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Famous Dave's Rewards: Loyalty rewards program allowing customers to earn points towards free food, get exclusive offers, and order favorites in a few clicks.

Products and services

• Catering

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 120 restaurants operating successfully in North America
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• OlocoreTechnology or IntegrationOlo serves as the order and fulfillment platform for online ordering through the Famous Dave's website and mobile app. When customers place pickup or delivery orders, Olo receives the order information and shares it with local Famous Dave's stores for processing and fulfillment. Olo also engages third-party delivery partners for delivery orders.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dickey's Barbecue Pit: Largest BBQ franchise in the US with over 500 locations. Directly comparable as a franchised barbecue concept competing for the same customer occasion and franchisee capital.
• Sonny's BBQ: Established BBQ chain with dozens of company-owned and franchised locations across the Southeast. Direct competitor in the pit-smoked BBQ dining segment.

Broad incumbents

• Texas Roadhouse: Large publicly-traded casual dining steakhouse chain with overlapping menu items (ribs, smoked meats, BBQ) and comparable dine-in family dining occasion.
• Brinker International (Chili's): Public casual dining operator of Chili's Grill & Bar, which features ribs and BBQ items on its menu and competes for casual dine-in traffic.
• Golden Corral: Large buffet-format family dining chain that competes for value-oriented family meals and group dining occasions where BBQ is a possible alternative.
• Applebee's: Largest casual dining chain in the world with broad menu including ribs and BBQ items. Direct competition for value-oriented dine-in family meals.
• Darden Restaurants: Largest full-service restaurant operator in the US with brands including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, and Yard House. Competes for casual dining occasions and real estate.
• Cracker Barrel Old Country Store: National casual dining chain offering homestyle comfort food including BBQ-adjacent items. Competes for similar family and road-trip dining occasions.
• Bloomin' Brands (Outback Steakhouse): Multi-brand casual dining parent of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba's, and Bonefish Grill. Competes in the same casual dining category with overlapping protein-centric menu items.
• BJ's Restaurants: Casual dining chain with deep menu including ribs and BBQ items. Competes in the same dine-in casual segment with similar family/group occasion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/famous_daves
• Facebookfacebook.com/famousdaves

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Famous Dave's of America