Okay....

It has now been established that Famous Daves is a chain and it can't beat some of the really authentic spots in the Midwest or South.

Well...duh!!!!

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, I'd have to say that these folks try hard and offer a pretty respectable product. No, its not the pinnacle of barbecue perfection, but as chain operations go, they're absolutely above average. I agree with the position that they easily beat Smokey Bones.

At minimum, Famous Daves is a welcome addition to a lot of "Barbecue-challenged" locations in the Upper Midwest and elsewhere.

My understanding is that Dave Anderson, the founder, is of Native American heritage and has never forgotten his roots....giving freely of his time and money to deal with problems and disadvantaged individuals in the Native American community.

As for encountering problems. For me its happened only once in a couple dozen visits at various locations. I had an issue about four years ago with a surly shift manager in Minneapolis. I wrote a letter to Corp. HQ and got a profuse apology along with several gift certificates