Famous Dave’s is considering adding shareable items to its dining room menu to help drive incremental sales, according to the chain’s executive chef.
Charlie Torgerson, a 19-year veteran of the casual-dining chain, said the items — which package Famous Dave’s signature barbecue offerings in different formats — are currently being tested at the bars at some company-owned restaurants.
Top performers in the test so far include the Hawaiian Roast, a multigrain flatbread topped with Famous Dave’s Rich and Sassy BBQ Sauce, Monterey Jack cheese, grilled pineapple, green onion and slow-smoked chopped pork.
Also performing well are Buffalo Bones, St. Louis-style ribs that are split in half lengthwise, smoked, cut into individual bones, deep-fried and tossed in Buffalo sauce. The ribs are served with blue cheese dressing, celery sticks and smoked blue cheese.
“That’s been a real winner for us,” Torgerson said.
So is the Smokey Bacon Blue, a white flatbread with caramelized onions and smoked bacon topped with smoked blue cheese and arugula tossed in oil and vinegar.
Those items, and possibly sliders featuring Famous Dave’s barbecued meats, are being considered for the new menu the chain will roll out in April, he said.
“People know what they’re going to order before they come in the door,” Torgerson said, but he hoped customers would order the sliders, flatbread and Buffalo Bones in addition to their main meals.
“At the end of the day, we’re obviously trying to drive sales,” he added.
Famous Dave’s sales suffered in its most recent third quarter, as the chain backed away from strategic discounting.
The chain is also testing a charcuterie plate at the bar, featuring hot links, smoked Cheddar cheese and a pretzel roll with smoked salt. Pork rinds are being tested, too, served with lemon and an Alabama white barbecue sauce made with mayonnaise, apple juice, horseradish, lemon, salt, pepper and spices.
For Lent, the chain will offer a cedar plank-smoked salmon, and will make a spread of the fish with cream cheese, chipotle peppers, capers and onion to serve on flatbread, Torgerson said. Smoked salmon and barbecue shrimp tacos with lettuce, coleslaw, rémoulade and pico de gallo will also be offered during the 40-day period before Easter, when many Christians eat fish instead of meat or poultry on Fridays.
Famous Dave’s parent company Famous Dave’s of America Inc. operates 54 restaurants and franchises an additional 138 units, according to Nation’s Restaurant News’ most recent Top 100 census.
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