Famous Dave's has a reputation for consistent, high quality food with amazing flavors and great service.
But did you know, each location takes personal pride in supporting the community they serve in? Famous Dave's Detroit gives back to the community through sponsorships, donations and fundraisers.
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Famous Dave's may be nationally recognized, but we're Detroit focused.
Famous Dave's BBQ Awards tan banner with red accents that says

We source the thickest cuts of meat and trim them up, just like we do for competition.

Then, our Pitmasters hand-apply our fresh dry rubs before slow-smoking them in a live-wood smoker stoked with genuine hickory logs. To lock in that deep-down smokiness, each tender cut is finished on the grill, creating our famous char-grilled sweetness on the outside. Our tender, juicy ribs and chicken are amazing straight from the grill or topped with one of our award-winning sauces. It's the best darn BBQ you'll taste in SE Michigan!

See Our Awards

Michigan BBQ Specials:
SPECIAL
23.99
PER BUCKET
To Go Special Rib Tip Bucket

Our smoky BBQ Rib Tip Bucket is sure to satisfy your hungry crew. 2 pounds of our Southside Rib Tips and 1 pound of Famous Fries. While you're here, pick up a bottle of your favorite award-winning sauce! Menu
The Best Never Rest
Barbeque's Living Legend

Famous Dave is the most awarded Pitmaster in history — a true originator blessed with a great sense of taste and a passion to create only the best of the best. Even among BBQ champions, Dave is recognized as the authority on the art of cooking with smoke and flame.

Dave's passion for ribs began as a young boy in Chicago. His father would bring home the best tasting ribs, slow-smoked by street vendors using 55-gallon drums. They were legendary ribs smoked just like the champion Pitmasters did way down in the Deep South. And thus, his story begins.

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What Makes Great BBQ?
You hand rub each slab with spices, then slow smoke'm in a pit of smoldering hickory like the champion Pitmasters in the Deep South. These ribs are so good right out of the smoker—try 'em without the sauce—just order your bones naked! - Famous Dave

Rundown of the Many Awards for Famous Dave's BBQ and Sauces

Hands hold up a sign that reads and the winner is...making us think of all the awards Famous Dave's has won over the years.At Famous Dave’s, we’re proud of what we do. From our restaurants to our sauces, we pride ourselves on great service and incredible flavors. But don’t just take our word for it. We’ve won many awards over the years, cementing our status as expert pitmasters.

With over 700 awards to our name, here are just some of the awards Famous Dave's has won.

1st Place - American Royal Barbecue Sauce Contest

American Royal’s Barbecue Sauce Contest is one of the most coveted awards for pitmasters. We were first awarded this honor in 1995, which marked the start of our award-winning journey.

Our barbecue sauce is one of the things that makes our menu so special. Having it recognized confirms that it’s not only a big deal to us but also our customers.

Best Ribs in America - People’s Choice Awards

In 2011, we were beyond thrilled to be awarded ‘Best Ribs in America’ at the People’s Choice Awards. It’s a testament to our hard-working Traveling Rib Team and the amazing work they do. These competitions are tough, so to win one is an incredible achievement. 

Any pitmaster will know the value of having perfect cooked ribs in their arsenal. If you haven’t tried them yet, make sure you head to your nearest restaurant and try our award-winning ribs for yourself.

Best BBQ Sauce - Best In The West Nugget Rib Cook-off

As one of the largest cook-off events in the country, it was a huge honor to be awarded ‘Best BBQ Sauce’ at Best In The West Nugget Rib Cook-Off. To win an award at this prestigious cook-off goes to show we know what we’re doing when it comes to barbecue.

We take part in competitions all over the country, and to win Best BBQ Sauce at one of the most well-known cook-offs is pretty special. We can’t wait to take our award-winning sauce to even more competitions over the coming years.

Top Barbecue Restaurant Franchise

With over 180 locations across the country, we’re still amazed at the household name Famous Dave’s has become. Winning the Top Barbecue Restaurant Franchise is an amazing award to have won, recognizing our hard work to build a successful franchise that people are proud to work for.  

Even our franchisees win awards! Alejandro Orozco won the Franchisee of the Year Award back-to-back in 2017 and 2018!

The future is bright, the future is Dave’s

We know that life isn’t about winning awards, but it’s always incredible to be recognized for the hard work we do. With more than 700 awards to date, we’re excited to see what the future holds and what other accolades we can bring home for our teams and our customers.

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Best Ribs
"Dougfest" 2013
Best BBQ
2006 - 2017
Best Cuisine
"Taste-Fest" 2015
Best Vendor
"Taste of the Town" 2015
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