Hardware Podcasts

Famous Dave's: Dave Anderson

How I Built This · 2 Nov 2020 · 1h 15m

What this episode covers

Dave Anderson, founder of Famous Dave's, recounts his journey from a working-class Chicago upbringing and early business failures to building a massive barbecue chain. He details the obsessive product development of his recipes and sensory restaurant experience, the rapid scaling that led to going public in 1996, and the subsequent loss of control to corporate executives who diluted the brand. Anderson describes his eventual ouster, the brand's decline, and his emotional return to help restore the company's heritage and quality standards.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up and established companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Famous Dave's, Grand Casinos, Eddie Bauer, U.S. Bank, McDonald's, Target, Costco, Sam's Club
Also
Zig Ziglar, Harvard

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