Famous Dave's Names Wallace B. Doolin to its Board of Directors

Famous Dave's of America, Inc. (NASDAQ: DAVE) today announced that it had appointed Wallace (Wally) B. Doolin, former president and chief executive officer of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide (CRW) and TGI Friday's ('Friday's') and former chairman and chief executive of Buca, Inc. to its board of directors.

'We're delighted to be able to attract an individual of Wally Doolin's caliber to our board of directors, further expanding the functional and strategic expertise of our board,' said K. Jeffrey Dahlberg, chairman of the board of Famous Dave's of America. 'Wally adds an amazing breadth of experience and a broad, seasoned perspective to our business.'

Doolin, 63, currently is the founder and CEO of Black Box Intelligence, a Dallas-based company that provides benchmarking information and analysis for public and private restaurant companies and serves as Executive Chairman and CEO of ESP Systems a hospitality technology company. Additionally, Doolin serves as a member of the board of directors of Caribou Coffee Company, of Minneapolis and the leading organization to end childhood hunger, Share Our Strength.

'Famous Dave's is a great brand and I'm very pleased to join its board of directors,' Doolin said. 'I've been a great admirer, and customer, of the brand for many years, and have always been impressed with the passion and level of execution that Famous Dave's associates bring to the business each day.'

From November, 2004 through January, 2008, Doolin was Chairman, President and CEO of Buca, Inc., operators of the Buca di Beppo chain of restaurants, where he was responsible for developing turnaround strategies for the chain. He served as CEO of La Madeleine Bakery Café and Bistro, a 64-restaurant chain based in Dallas, Texas from 2002 to 2004, and from 1994 to 2002 was CEO and President of CRW and Friday's, a casual dining restaurant company. Doolin was a Senior Vice President and Executive Vice President of CRW and Friday's from 1989 to 1993.

During his more than 13 years with CRW and Friday's, Doolin oversaw Friday's growth from 135 U.S. restaurants to more than 700 units in 57 countries. He also was responsible for the acquisition of Pick Up Stix, which brought CRW's restaurant total to 770. From 1984 to 1986, Mr. Doolin served as President of Applebee's, and from 1972 to 1989 he held senior leadership positions at W.R. Grace's Restaurant Division, Flakey Jake's, Inc., and Steak and Ale Restaurants.

Doolin has received the IFMA Silver Plate and NRN Golden Chain awards; he is a board member emeritus of the National Restaurant Association, and a past chairman of its Education Foundation.

'I can't think of many individuals with the depth and breadth of operational knowledge and experience that Wally Doolin brings to this position,' Dahlberg said. 'Wally has played a critical role in building some of the nation's pre-eminent casual dining chains, as well as experience in guiding promising concepts during difficult times. We're pleased and honored that he has agreed to serve on our board of directors.'

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