The parent of the Famous Dave’s barbecue chain is testing yet another development option by allowing a franchisee to incorporate elements of a Famous Dave’s into a Texas T-Bone Steakhouse.
Dine-in customers can order off either concept’s menu at the Texas T-bone location in Colorado Springs, Colo. The restaurant is one of three Texas T-Bone branches. The restaurant is operated by a new franchisee of Famous Dave’s, Dave Crimmins.
It was not clear if the restaurant will actually be divided into a Famous Dave’s and a Texas T-Bone, the usual dual-branding model. Online materials show a Texas T-Bone that sports a Famous Dave’s menu. Unlike a virtual-restaurant arrangement, where a brick-and-mortar facility prepares items under a separate brand name solely for delivery, the Texas T-Bone-Famous Dave’s combo will offer the barbecue concept’s menu for dine-in service, according to a spokesperson. He calls it an actual two-in-one restaurant.
The venture is the latest in a slew of initiatives from Famous Dave’s parent, BBQ Holdings, to rejuvenate the barbecue concept and arm the company with new development options. During 2020, BBQ has acquired 18-unit Granite City Brewery and the limited-service Real Urban BBQ concept. It has also started using a Johnny Carino’s restaurant on the West Coast as a ghost kitchen for the preparation of Famous Dave’s fare for delivery and takeout. It has a similar relationship with a Cloud Kitchen facility in Chicago.
It is also experimenting with smaller-sized Famous Dave's formats.
BBQ Holdings, formerly known as Famous Dave's of America, had been struggling with a steep downturn in sales and traffic prior to the pandemic. The crisis worsened its situation by forcing dining rooms to close.
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