Famous Dave’s heads for Springfield

The franchisee, Barbecue Ventures LLC, has purchased the right to build five restaurants in Missouri, with at least one in Springfield, according to Famous Dave’s spokesman Pat Courtemanche. All others would be located in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Courtemanche said the franchisee is in the process of selecting sites and conducting market evaluation, so a timeline for the restaurants’ openings has not been set. A new franchise location can open in as little as six months or as long as seven years, Courtemanche said.

Barbecue Ventures LLC is owned and operated by William Theisen, the retired founder of Godfather’s Pizza. He owns and operates a recently opened Famous Dave’s at Branson Landing, as well as three in Nebraska, one in Iowa and one in Kansas.

Under the new agreement, Theisen also is committed to develop four more restaurants in Kansas.