Famous Daves BBQ


 
One of the sons was saying they buy their ribs by the trailer-loads from a Chicago supplier, who holds them frozen until needed. He also said that while they buy such a large volume, they pay more per pound because they demand a specific cut. Ribs delivered to them are marked with their name. According to the son, that is unique in the business.

The reason they cook off-site (24/7 btw) is the restaurants, even operating at maximum capacity, cannot keep up with demand.
 
Originally posted by Jeff S:
I may be wrong, but I don't think they even smoke the meat there on the grounds. It comes pre-cooked.
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Awhile back there was a radio commercial claiming that the cooking starts at 4am, and while it didn't say where the cooking takes place that time frame implies to me that it's done on the restaurant premises.

Running a restaurant that serves food that has a long prep time must come with its own special set of headaches, unlike a burger joint or steakhouse where it's basically as simple as putting fresh meat on the grill for a few minutes. I like reading about 1-man operations where the owner cooks up some barbecue, opens for business when it's ready, and closes when it's gone; I'll bet that makes it a lot easier!

Brad
 
The reason they cook off-site (24/7 btw) is the restaurants, even operating at maximum capacity, cannot keep up with demand.
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I will say this, the one near me is always busy, lunch through dinner their parking lot is always full. Which sucks because they share a parking lot with Beverages and More and since Dave's opened finding a parking spot is hell. There are plenty of people who enjoy their food.
 
Larry, correct me if I am speaking out of turn, but I would think there are not many good Q restaurants in CA....(not that there are many over here in the east!) The locals keep us fed over here!
 
but I would think there are not many good Q restaurants in CA
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You are correct when you say "many." I've been fortunate enough to travel extensively all over the US in my career and we do not have the Q options that I've seen in say Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, the Carolinas to name a few. They're around here (I live in Central California and office in Orange County/Southern California), you just need to know where to look vs. there being one on almost every block. We have Mexican Restaurants instead of Q where I am. Also a lot of sushi on the west coast too, which I don't complain about as I love Sushi . . . come to think of it I like really good Mexican food too and we have some very good authentic Mexican food around here.
 
Famous Dave's BBQ needs to remove the BBQ part from their name. I don't think they are really a "BBQ" place. I eat at one in Redlands, CA recently, and I could not taste, nor see a smoke ring or flavor in any of their meats. They kept pushing their BBQ sauces. I felt I was at a Tony Romas. I was not impressed. At least http://www.lucillesbbq.com/ uses a real smoker, and produce a nice, smoke ring and smokey flavor to their foods. Just my 2 cents.
 
Famous Dave's BBQ needs to remove the BBQ part from their name.
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I think the majority of Americans feel that restaurants like Dave's, Tony Romas etc. is good BBQ. I include myself in this group up until I started traveling and experiencing Texas (and later other states) Q. I remember growing up in SLC, UT and a Tony Romas came to town and we fell in love, we thought the fare was great, we didn't have any other frame of reference and it tasted good to us. Growing up we didn't know anyone who did backyard Q and I don't remember any Q restaurants in town either. Tony Romas was all we knew for ribs and we liked them.

There's another Q restaurant just opening up here in the Central California it's called Big Bad Bubbas - http://www.bigbubbasbadbbq.com. Like Famous Dave's its very popular, the night we went there was an 1 1/2 hour wait for seating. I'd say it was average at best (and the service was horrible!!!). I ordered the chicken and it was unbelievably dry, in fact it was so dry I couldn't finish it even after I doused it with bbq sauce . . . have you ever eaten chicken that was so dry it made you choke . . . that was the piece of chicken they served me. I sampled the ribs, some pulled pork and brisket, all fairly average. However, my average may be great to someone who's been drying-out ribs on their grill for the past 10 years.

I guess my point is we're in a very very small minority here, people who have had the opportunity to try good Q, take the time to learn to Q, we found a great tool to create the Q and a fantastic board where people are very willing to share information and help each other out. As bothered as we get (I include myself in this group) when we here someone say, "I ate at Famous Dave's and had awesome ribs." We just need to remember, they haven't experienced what real Q can taste like. Invite them over and introduce them to some. Just remember, if you turn them off to Dave's they'll be coming to your place instead
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UPDATE: I did want to add that I'm still learning to prepare Q myself. While (if I may blow my own horn) I'm what I would classify as an accomplished "griller," I've only been seriously smoking for the past 7 months and still have much to learn . . . but I will say mine is a cut above what you'll find at Dave's or Bubbas and I owe it to this board, otherwise I'm sure I'd have thrown the WSM out and be sitting at Dave's with everyone else, LOL!!!

Night all . . .
 
why don't i ever see any smokers,cookers or anything like that at the famous daves in rochester ny? i never smell any smoke in the air around that place except the smell of deep fried potatoes. i have yet to go there just because i know my bbq is better. i am 100% sure that they pre smoke/cook their meat somewhere then ship it frozen to the famous dave locations then reheat it over the grills
 
i find Famous Dave's to be too salty. makes me cringe just thinking about it. i am a novice smoker and my ribs and pork are much better than Dave's. (sorry for the modesty)
 
We go to FD's once i a while. The one we go to in Hillsborough, NJ smells like hickory outside and has a huge Southern Pride smoker inside.

Foods not bad. Mines better, but the FD's is the best I've eaten from a chain. Food tastes of smoke, ribs are usually cooked tender with a slight pull and their chicken is IMO absolutely fantastic.

My favorite is their bread pudding - WOW! This stuff is completely addictive.
 
My wife and I love Famous Dave's.........................for hamburgers, that is
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. The Devels Spit burger is very tasty. We have also tried the Ultimate burger, it comes with a bit of pulled (steamed) pork on top of the beef, it is also very tasty. Do they sell ribs also? We thought it was a burger joint.
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We have a FD here in Tacoma. When it first opened I was just starting to BBQ at home. I thought it would be cool to see how the big guys do it. I asked if I could see the smoker and talk to the pitmaster. The manager said that they get all of the meat pre smoked and heat it up onsite, in a smoker.
 
Famous Dave's started up here in the great white north of Minnesota, so to us, it ain't bad. That being said, it is almost like a theme restaurant. It's good for lunch on those days the wife hauls you out shopping all day, better than "fast food," and most "BBQ" chains.
 
Originally posted by LarryR:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">The reason they cook off-site (24/7 btw) is the restaurants, even operating at maximum capacity, cannot keep up with demand.
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I will say this, the one near me is always busy, lunch through dinner their parking lot is always full. Which sucks because they share a parking lot with Beverages and More and since Dave's opened finding a parking spot is hell. There are plenty of people who enjoy their food. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I was talking about Corky's, not Dave's.
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I was talking about Corky's, not Dave's.
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Ah, sorry, my "bad." However, it sounds like the same applies for Dave's and I'm still bothered by the fact that they're taking all the BevMo parking spaces
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. . . although the extra walk is probably better for me anyway.

I've seen a couple mentions of Dave's bread pudding; another company who does a nice job with their bread pudding is the Claim Jumper. We'll go in just for a drink and the bread pudding. I think they're primarily a west coast franchise that's slowly moving east.
 
The good news is America does not think Tony Roma's is good. Vast numbers of them have closed all over the country. Famous Dave's is only as good as the pitmasters and the best they have are in the original Twin Cities locations. I do like their sauces.

Konrad
 
Originally posted by Konrad Haskins:
The good news is America does not think Tony Roma's is good. Vast numbers of them have closed all over the country. Famous Dave's is only as good as the pitmasters and the best they have are in the original Twin Cities locations. I do like their sauces.

Konrad
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Agreed - I keep bottles of their Devil's Spit and Rich n' Sassy around at all times - they're both great.

-Erik
 
Originally posted by Konrad Haskins:
The good news is America does not think Tony Roma's is good. Vast numbers of them have closed all over the country. Famous Dave's is only as good as the pitmasters and the best they have are in the original Twin Cities locations. I do like their sauces.

Konrad
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Yeah, I'm picking up on that regarding FD's (experience is directly related to the Pit Master, and where they are located) The one I tried in Springfield, PA is the one I referred to. No smell of smoke, the ribs, brisket I tried had no smoke ring. They were ok but not great. Not going to that one again. I might try the one in NJ next time I get down that way. I tried the Springfield, PA FD after hearing so many good things about FD from a friend - but then they were talking about the one on Columbus Ave in Philadelphia. So I should actually try that one to compare.

Guess I tried too many other "chains" or local companies while in Texas. I've also tried private shacks while in Texas. I can say that I even liked the Dickey's chain in Texas much more than the FD I tried locally.
 
Originally posted by Mikey Seim:
Famous Dave's started up here in the great white north of Minnesota
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Just as a historical footnote, the first Famous Dave's was and still is outside Hayward, Wisconsin.

Brad
 
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