Famous Dave’s of America Founder, Dave Anderson, to be Honored by American Royal as 2017 Inductee for the Barbecue Hall of Fame®

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 21, 2017 -- Famous Dave's of America, Inc. (NASDAQ:DAVE) announced today that the American Royal Association has named the Company’s Founder, “Famous Dave” Anderson, to the 2017 class of inductees to the Barbecue Hall of Fame. The formal induction ceremony will take place during the 2017 Barbecue Hall of Fame® at the American Royal at the Kansas Speedway over Labor Day weekend.

Each year, three individuals are awarded the prestigious honor and are recognized by the Barbecue Hall of Fame for their significant contributions to the barbecue community and demonstration of achievement in barbecue excellence. “Famous Dave” Anderson will be honored along with Jeff Stehney and Melissa Cookston at the ceremony. 

Mike Lister, Chief Executive and Operating Officer, commented, "This honor certainly comes as no surprise having worked with Dave for the past twenty years. He has brought great barbecue to millions and is an incredible mentor and visionary in our community. Dave is a barbecue ambassador who truly lives and breathes the values he preaches every day."

Founder Dave Anderson said, “People consistently ask how I got involved in barbecue, and I always answer that I was born into barbecue.  My dad, a Choctaw Indian from Isabel, Oklahoma, loved his Southern Home Cooking and his Real Pit Barbecue done the ‘Old School Way’ of smoke and meat, smoldered over live burning embers.  I’ve never thought of what I do as a business, but a way of life. Barbecue has been my life’s passion and there’s nothing more that I love than making people happy with the foods I grew up with and that is what makes me happy in life! Being told that my peers had nominated me to be inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame® at the American Royal is humbling, amazing, and incredible for a kid that grew up with nothing more than a dream and a willingness to work hard… proving nothing is impossible!” 

Barbecue Hall of Fame® at the American Royal stated in a recent press release, “Famous Dave Anderson has dedicated his life to making the best barbecue in America. In 1994 he opened The Original Famous Dave’s located on the shores of Big Round Lake in Hayward, WI. By the end of that first summer Dave was serving as many as 6000 people a week in a town of only 2000 people. Dave opened his second restaurant in Minneapolis and was quickly recognized as One of the Hottest Concepts in America Award by The National Restaurant Association in 2002 and most recently America’s Best Loved BBQ Joint (Nation’s Restaurant News March 2013).”

Dave is one of the most award-winning BBQ Grillmasters around, selling over 16 million pounds of ribs every year, and has become known as ‘America’s Rib King’.  Dave's barbecue is highly regarded as the best in America, winning over 780 local and national honors including Best of Class Awards, Blue Ribbons, People’s Choice, Critic’s Choice and First Place awards including: Best Ribs in America, Best BBQ Sauce in America, Best BBQ Restaurant in America, Best Cornbread, and Best Chicken.

Dave continues to develop new and amazing rib recipes and tasty new barbecue sauces, which are featured in two award winning cookbooks Rib-O-Licious and Famous Dave’s Barbecue Party Cookbook. Both books have won “Best Barbecue/Grill Cookbooks in America” by the National Barbecue Association. The sale of these books has generated over $1 million in profit, which Dave and his wife Kathy have generously donated to organizations including LifeSkills and CareerSkills for work with at-risk Native Youth. 

About Famous Dave’s

The Company develops, owns, operates and franchises barbeque restaurants. Its menu features award-winning barbequed and grilled meats, a selection of salads, sandwiches, side items, and made-from-scratch desserts. As of August 16, 2017, the Company owned 29 locations and franchised an additional 135 restaurants in 32 states, the Commonweatlh of Puerto Rico, Canada, and United Arab Emirates.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical, including but not limited to statements regarding the timing of the Company’s restaurant openings and the timing or success of refranchising plans, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, which may cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from expected results. Although the Company believes the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectation will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Famous Dave’s expectation include financial performance, restaurant industry conditions, execution of restaurant development and construction programs, franchisee performance, changes in local or national economic conditions, availability of financing, governmental approvals and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports.

Media Contact:  
Jean Golden, Media Relations, 612-385-2324 or [email protected] 
Dexter Newman, Chief Financial Officer, 952-294-1300