Famous Dave's
Encyclopedia
Famous Dave's Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que, formerly Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que Shack, is a chain of southern-style barbecue
restaurants serving pork ribs
, chicken
, and beef
brisket
. Dave Anderson
, an Ojibwe who served as the head of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs
from 2004 to 2005, started the first Famous Dave's restaurant just outside of Hayward, Wisconsin
, in 1994. The restaurant chain quickly grew throughout the Midwestern United States
. It has since grown to have locations in 37 U.S. states. The flagship restaurant of the chain is Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que and Blues in Calhoun Square
, Minneapolis, Minnesota
.
, without earning an undergraduate degree. In 1994, Dave helped found Rainforest Café
, a theme restaurant chain, and finally in October 1994, Dave Anderson pursued his lifelong passion and opened the first Famous Dave’s in Hayward, Wisconsin
.
Barbecue
Barbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
restaurants serving pork ribs
Pork ribs
Pork ribs are a cut of pork popular in North American and Asian cuisines. The ribcage of a domestic pig, meat and bones together, is cut into usable pieces, prepared by smoking, grilling, or baking – usually with a sauce, often barbecue – and then served....
, chicken
Chicken
The chicken is a domesticated fowl, a subspecies of the Red Junglefowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other species of bird...
, and beef
Beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle. Beef can be harvested from cows, bulls, heifers or steers. It is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of the Middle East , Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Europe and the United States, and is also important in...
brisket
Brisket
Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the eight beef primal cuts. The brisket muscles include the superficial and deep pectorals. As cattle do not have collar bones, these muscles support about 60% of the body weight of standing/moving...
. Dave Anderson
David W. Anderson
David W. "Famous Dave" Anderson, best known as the founder of the Famous Dave's restaurant chain, was the former Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior, with jurisdiction over the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Office of Indian Education Programs . Anderson is a...
, an Ojibwe who served as the head of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
from 2004 to 2005, started the first Famous Dave's restaurant just outside of Hayward, Wisconsin
Hayward, Wisconsin
Hayward is a city in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, next to the Namekagon River. The population was 2,129 at the 2000 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Hayward.-Transportation:U.S...
, in 1994. The restaurant chain quickly grew throughout the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. It has since grown to have locations in 37 U.S. states. The flagship restaurant of the chain is Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que and Blues in Calhoun Square
Calhoun Square
Calhoun Square is an indoor shopping mall located in the Uptown district of Minneapolis, Minnesota.-History:The mall was built at the southeast corner of Hennepin Avenue and West Lake Street in the early 1980s. Neighborhood activists opposed to the project started the "Dump Updale" campaign...
, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
.
Awards
Famous Dave's has won numerous awards in their restaurants through the years beginning in 1995, winning the “Best BBQ Sauce in America” given by the American Royal Barbecue Contest and the “Best BBQ Joint” given by St. Paul magazine. The chain continued to win over 200 awards across the nation, from “Best BBQ ribs” over 50 times to awards like "Best Salad" (Crispy Chicken Jumpoff), “Best Music” or “Best Desserts.” Most recently, Famous Dave’s has won the famous Silver Plate award that is given to “foodservice operators who epitomize the best of class.”Dave Anderson
Dave Anderson has also worked as a philanthropist, helping many struggling businesses back on to their feet before starting Famous Dave’s in 1994. In 1982, Dave put together a team responsible for turning around the Lac Courte Oreilles Chippewa Reservation's economy as part of an effort to improve Indian reservations' struggling economies. For the next couple of years, Dave took part in councils and teams looking to improve Wisconsin’s tourism and small businesses. In 1986, Dave earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, without earning an undergraduate degree. In 1994, Dave helped found Rainforest Café
Rainforest Cafe
Rainforest Cafe is a themed restaurant chain owned by Landry's Restaurants, Inc. of Houston, Texas. It was founded by entrepreneur Steven Schussler. The first location opened in the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota on February 3, 1994. In 1997, the chain consisted of only six restaurants,...
, a theme restaurant chain, and finally in October 1994, Dave Anderson pursued his lifelong passion and opened the first Famous Dave’s in Hayward, Wisconsin
Hayward, Wisconsin
Hayward is a city in Sawyer County, Wisconsin, United States, next to the Namekagon River. The population was 2,129 at the 2000 census. The city is surrounded by the Town of Hayward.-Transportation:U.S...
.