The Salt Lake City-area drive-thru will open March 7, committing to the QSR model for a quicker and more convenient experience for guests.
Famous Dave’s, the fast-growing barbeque franchise with 134 restaurants in markets across the country, is redefining fast-casual dining with its first drive-thru model. “Quick ‘Que,” a drive-thru with counter-serve also offered, opens in South Salt Lake, Utah, on March 7th.
Amid casual-dining companies dipping their feet in the QSR pond with drive-thru/restaurant hybrids, Famous Dave’s has fully committed to the quick-service model with this new store, by flipping a former KFC location into a drive-thru experience of America’s most award-winning BBQ brand.
“The Quick ‘Que model was a huge leap forward for us, and almost two years after the arrival of COVID, we’re proud to continue finding new ways to evolve and serve our Famous food in the most convenient manner,” said Jeff Crivello, CEO of BBQ Holdings. “The addition of the drive-thru model is a prime example of that effort.”
The first Famous Dave’s location to offer a drive-thru is located at 2435 South State Street in South Salt Lake, Utah. Crivello says drive-thru has traditionally performed best in the fast-food space, but as the FSR industry continues to change following the pandemic, the added level of convenience is becoming a necessity across every segment.
This new location will be opened and operated by franchise partners Olympic BBQ, an Ascend Hospitality Group (AHG) company, which operates six other Famous Dave’s locations, two of which are in Utah.
“We are committed to a true QSR experience; we purchased and converted a former KFC location for that reason,” said Elaina Morris, CEO and president of AHG. “The Quick ‘Que drive-thru model is going to allow us to reach more customers while providing them with a faster, more comfortable experience with the quality and flavors they love and expect from Famous Dave’s.”
The Quick ‘Que drive-thru menu is designed for convenience and speed without sacrificing quality, with offerings optimized into express-friendly categories of ‘Que Meals, Sandwiches, Platters, Feasts, and Meats by the Pound. The menu also introduces new items not available at the FSR locations, including the Jalapeno-Cheddar Sausage Hoagie, the Brisket French Dip Sandwich, a?? wider variation of BBQ Bowls, and desserts like Mini Donuts and Peach Cobbler.
“South Salt Lake, and the greater Salt Lake City area, is such a vibrant community, and there is a huge demand for high-quality barbeque,” Morris added. “We couldn’t be more excited to introduce this innovative, new model to our fans.”
BBQ Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BBQ) is a national restaurant company engaged in franchising, ownership and operation of casual and fast dining restaurants. As of November 10, 2021, BBQ Holdings had seven brands with 303 locations in three countries including 89 Company owned locations and 214 franchised locations. In addition to these locations, the Company opened eight Company-owned Famous Dave’s ghost kitchens operating within its Granite City locations, and 20 Famous Dave’s franchisee ghost kitchens operating out of the kitchen of another restaurant location or a shared kitchen space. While BBQ Holdings continues to diversify its ownership in the restaurant community, it was founded with the principle of combining the “art and science” of barbecue to serve up the very best of the best to barbecue lovers everywhere. Along with a wide variety of BBQ favorites served at their BBQ restaurants, BBQ Holdings also operates Granite City Food and Brewery restaurants which offer award winning craft beer and a made-from-scratch, chef driven menu featuring contemporary American cuisine. Village Inn and Bakers Square add a legendary Family Dining element to BBQ Holdings, with these concepts specializing in breakfast and pies. Tahoe Joe’s, the Company’s newest addition, is known for their pellet-broiler cooked and smoked infused steak.
Ascend Hospitality Group (AHG) is a Black-and female-led, locally owned, independent restaurant group based in Bellevue, Washington. The company is a collection of concepts ranging from fine-dining to fast-casual, including the Olympic BBQ Famous Dave’s BBQ franchise, and proudly employs more than 500 people in Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Utah. Committed to elevating the communities it serves, AHG invests wholly in both its team members and its guests to take service to the next level. www.ascendhg.com.
