North Dakota/Minnesota Barbecue Giant Bought By Canadians

Famous Dave's is part of blockbuster $200 million deal.

It was announced Tuesday that Famous Dave's parent company BBQ Holdings was sold for $200 million to Montreal-based MTY Food Group. BBQ Holdings is also the parent to Village Inn, Granite City, Bario Queen, and other restaurants.  BBQ Holdings operates over 200 franchised locations and over 100 corporate-owned stores.

Not to worry Bismarck your burnt ends aren't going anywhere.

The MTY Food Group is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, and already operates and franchises a variety of restaurants and food service businesses including Papa Murphy's, TCBY, Cold Stone Creamery, and more. With the acquisition, it should remain business as usual for the barbecue-loving consumer.  This is from MTY CEO Eric Lefebvre-

We are excited about the prospects of adding BBQ Holdings' brands to the MTY family and we look forward to welcoming [BBQ Holdings CEO] Jeff Crivello and his team, and their franchise partners.”

With the Canadian acquisition will favorites from our northern neighbors begin to appear on the Famous Dave's menu? Most likely the addition of ketchup chips and poutine will be a given.

Famous Dave's got its start in Hayward, Wisconsin by Dave Anderson who had a barbecue history from his days growing up in Chicago. That first location ironically burned to the ground back in 2014. Dave's first franchise-operated restaurant opened in Burnsville Minnesota before growing across the Midwest. Surprisingly there are also Famous Dave's locations in Winnipeg, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Dubai.

An Ojibwe-Choctaw, Dave Anderson also served as head of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs from 2004-2005.