Famous Dave’s CEO Ed Rensi steps down

Famous Dave’s of America Inc. CEO Ed Rensi has stepped down from his role, effective immediately, the company announced Thursday. Though the company did not give a reason for his departure, this transition comes just 16 months after Rensi was appointed CEO.

Rensi will continue to serve on Famous Dave’s board of directors and will lead the board’s oversight of the company’s international expansion, the company said.

In the meantime, the board has appointed Adam Wright, an independent director of the company, as interim CEO while the search for Rensi’s replacement gets underway.

"We recognize Ed's continuing contributions to Famous Dave's and, in particular, his willingness to provide his valuable leadership and experience to the company during a period of transition,” Famous Dave’s Chairman David Mastrocola said in a statement. “Our priority is now to identify a leader who can drive the next stage of Famous Dave's innovation and growth."

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Podcast transcript: Dutch Bros CEO Christine Barone

A Deeper Dive: Here is the transcript for the May 29 podcast with the chief executive of the drive-thru coffee chain, who talks real estate, boba and other topics.

Financing

McDonald's value perception problem is with its lighter users

The Bottom Line: The fast-food giant took the extraordinary step of publicizing average prices this week. It was speaking to its less-frequent customers, who are a lot less likely to say the chain is a good value.

Financing

CEO pay soared last year, despite a volatile period for restaurants

Pay for CEOs at publicly traded restaurants took off last year, but remains lower than average among public companies, even as tenure for the position remains volatile.

Trending

More from our partners