Dave Anderson, founder of Famous Dave's barbecue restaurants, found himself in a place last month that he hadn't been in nearly 16 years — the company's boardroom in Minnetonka.
"They're finally listening to me again," he says.
Anderson left the company in 2002 when President George W. Bush appointed him to lead the Department of the Interior's Indian Affairs office. His stint in government didn't last long and Anderson went into other business ventures afterward, including another barbecue concept, Old Southern BBQ, that started in Wisconsin and came to Minneapolis last year.
Famous Dave's thrived for several years after his exit, growing to about 200 locations mainly through franchising. And then, it went into the pits.
Growth plateaued as fast-casual dining chains broadly came under pressure from new competition, ranging from grocery stores to online delivery services. After the departure in 2012 of the executive who led the company through the recession, Famous Dave's experienced a revolving door at the top — five chief executives in five years, none staying longer than 18 months.
The latest, Jeff Crivello, took charge in November and brought Anderson, who had been given a consulting contract two years earlier, back into the office.
"The past CEOs knew they had to refresh Famous Dave's, but instead of talking to me they went and hired these fancy marketing companies, literally spent fortunes, and hired marketing people who had to study barbecue," Anderson said. "I'm saying, 'Hey, I'm in the Barbecue Hall of Fame. Don't you think you should talk to me?' Jeff is the first one who did."
"Dave is a brilliant guy. He's a savant with food," Crivello said. "We're often on the phone at midnight discussing this and that."