On Sunday, A Day For Daves

Sunday, Aug. 14 will be a day for Daves, famous or otherwise.

That’s when the Roseville Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que restaurant in Roseville and most other locations for the Minneapolis-based chain across the nation will be offering dinner deals for all guys with the first or middle names of Dave, David or Davey.

Famous Dave’s of America ‘s restaurants are offering anyone showing a valid ID with the first name of Dave, David or Davy a free entrée (maximum value of $15) at participating locations nationwide.

Anyone showing a valid ID with the middle name of Dave, David or Davy can get an entrée for half price (maximum value of $7.50).

The company started Dave’s Day three years ago to celebrate its 15^th anniversary and honor founder Dave Anderson. 

“It’s a celebration of us,” Dave Jackson, general manager of Famous Dave’s Roseville restaurant, told Roseville Patch.

For Jackson, Dave’s Day has become his busiest day of the year. In 2010, the promotion drew about 500 customers, three times the volume of a typical day, he said.

“It (Dave’s Day) is a crazy time for us,’ Jackson said. Sunday’s restaurant hours at Famous Dave’s in Roseville will be from 10:30 a.m. to 10:10 p.m.

Since its start in 2009, Dave’s Day has grown from only a portion of the restaurants participating to now more than 90 percent them, according to company officials.

The company noted that David is the sixth most popular boy’s name in the U. S.

“Our Dave’s Day celebration has grown into a national event and the word has spread like wildfire on social media in anticipation for this event,” Aric Nissen, Famous Dave’s vice-president of marketing, said in a statement. “Our restaurants observe some unusual behavior on this special day, such as babies named Dave showing up for free BBQ, guests who proclaim they are going to change their name to Dave, and multiple generations of ‘Daves’ using our celebration as a celebration for their families."

Currently, Famous Dave’s owns and franchises 183 restaurants in 37 states. 

The company said it has won more than 500 awards, including the People’s Choice Award at the 2011 Great American Rib Cook-Off in Cleveland and the People’s Choice Award at the 2011 National Capital Barbecue Battle in Washington, D.C. for the sixth straight year