Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

I have always been a big fan of Famous Dave's, but I won't be going there anymore.

For years, I've been going to Famous Dave's whenever I wanted to get their pretty unique and awesome barbeque. I worked there as a server many years ago (2005?), and when I stopped working there, I continued being a frequent customer up until now. One of the best things they have there is their hot link sausage. It's unique, and I haven't found any other sausage like it. Sometimes--it's been at least once a week in the past--I go there and just order hot links ala carte by the pound, or a few links and some other stuff using their 'Add a Meat' pricing. Sometimes I throw in an 'Add a Meat' of brisket, or maybe an order of rib tips. It's always been great food, and the service was great once upon a time as well.

As time went on, things started to slip and prices continued to rise. I remember when an 'Add a Meat' was $2.99; maybe even $2.49 when I worked there. Now it's $3.99. And I understand that prices always go up. Fine. But the service has been in steady decline for a while now, too.

In the last year, I've come to expect that when I call in an order to-go that they'll take freaking FOREVER to get it ready. I'm talking 45 minutes sometimes. And more and more, they make mistakes, like including sauce when I request the meat 'naked', or cutting the hot links in one way when I ask for it prepared in the old way, which means me waiting another 15 minutes for them to fix it.

At first, the managers were happy to work with me and try to make things right. They even knew me by name because of how often I made this kind of order. Now, I just deal with bartenders that don't bother smiling or apologizing for problems, and there's no sense of customer service.

Last night was the end of it. I called in an order like I usually do. When I went to pick it up, I was informed that their policy on 'Add a Meat' orders like I'd ordered had changed, and that my order was never processed. If I wanted to order my meat in the 'new way', I could, but I'd still have to wait another 15-20 minutes for my order to be prepared. That was ridiculous. Anyone with any idea of customer service would have processed the order anyway, and told me I'd have to do it differently from then on. Even if they couldn't 'process the order' (a manager definitely could have), they should have at least had the food ready and charged me in a different way when I arrived, and I wouldn't have had to wait. Instead, they handled it in the worst possible way, let me come over there expecting that my food would be ready, and wasted my time.

I won't be going back. For as awesome as that sausage is, there comes a point when I guess it's just not worth the trouble anymore. For the last few years, this restaurant has just become too expensive, their service sucks, they take too long, and they don't care...

I had never eaten here before, but my wife has enjoyed Famous Daves at locations across the country and suggested it for a late lunch today. What a horrible experience, and we will never go back. I ordered the bacon-wrapped 14-oz filet, medium rare, and one would expect it to be tender and flavorful given the cut of meat and doneness. The restaurant prides itself on hand-cutting its own steaks, so for $57 I had high hopes. Bad idea. The steak was the driest and chewiest I've had in a very long time, and even cutting it was far more work than it should have been for a filet. The seasoning was minimal at best, so there was almost no flavor to it. The waitstaff also talked me into ordering a $10 lobster tail as an add-on, and it was seriously overdone, rubbery and chewy, a complete waste of what was otherwise a beautiful and large lobster tail. For my sides I requested the red-skinned mashed potatoes, and they were so-so, as well as the green beans with onion and bacon. I still can't place the taste of them, but it was both strange and not good, more reminiscent of a combination of cauliflower and spinach, both of which I detest. The waitstaff didn't even bring that side until I reminded her that I'd ordered it, and it was cold on arrival. My wife ordered a 3-meat combo platter with potato salad and "Wilbur" beans. The brisket and pulled pork were not very good and had an aftertaste of corned beef to them, and the ribs were passable but not something I'd eat more than a few of. The "Wilbur" beans (what the heck is with that name?) were watery and tasteless, but the potato salad was acceptable. The coup de gras though was that the manager came over before our food arrived and made a big show of how much he appreciated first-time diners at his restaurant, so much so that he was going to give us a bottle of their barbecue sauce and "several other gifts" (his words) for coming in today. He said he would be right back and then never returned to our table. What's more, he was the one who held the door open for us as we left, clearly having forgotten what he said he would do. We chose not to say anything because it would have felt awkward, but we were disappointed by this on top of the terrible dining experience. Needless to say, we've eaten at Famous Dave's for...

Haley was absolutely amazing. she was very busy and still took care of us and everyone in a very efficient manner. this woman is valuable to your company and deserves a raise and some appreciation shown. she's the main reason for your 5 star review. the atmosphere was amazing i enjoyed the fact that it was busy but I didn't have to scream or ask what while talking to my guest the cheese curds were phenomenal . I did kind of expect to get more than what we did for $13 but quality was there. I didn't get a picture of them unfortunately however you can see them with the chicken sandwich . rolls and butter are always amazing to me. one complaint my guest had was that you don't serve regular butter with the rolls. Is this an option or can it be? my guest was extremely pleased with the chicken sandwich and cheese curds add on. I got the pick three platter. broccoli was cooked perfectly as i hate mushy vegetables. the garlic red potatoes were great flavor wise just a little dry. so maybe send a small amount of butter out with them or put a small dollop on top before sending them out. Now onto the meats. I added a fourth meat which is the jalapeno sausage sitting on the blue plate all alone. personally I find it a waste of time and unnecessary to put it on a separate plate. put it with the rest of my food. or maybe have the server ask that because some might want it separate but having a lot of BOH and FOH experience id rather see less dishes go out as well as the sausage dies a lot faster by being on a cold plate and being by itself. I also got the chopped pork I was only happy with 2 bites almost every bite of it I took was a different profile of seasoning and some of it was extremely dry and chewy. the sliced brisket was okay. nothing wrong and nothing to brag about. now onto the ribs this is what completely saved the meal. ill be back for a full rack of ribs and hope that they are as good as the ones I got with my meal. best part was honestly the fact that yall kept the tip on a lot of places cut it off and I always am disappointed. great job over all.

kitchen/food 4 stars. had my brisket and pork been better definitely could get a 5 star. Haley 10 stars I honestly will probably request her any time I come back. host and hostess 5 stars. atmosphere and...