000610 Famous Dave’s Opening 3 New Restaurants

Eden Prairie, MN - Famous Dave's of America, Inc. announces the opening of a new franchised location in East Peoria, Illinois. Two additional franchised units are set to open this month in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin and at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

The first Famous Dave's franchise of the Summer opened May 22, 2000 in East Peoria, Illinois. Situated along the Illinois River in the East Port Marina, the 5,500 square foot restaurant has 215 seats with an additional 65 seats on a patio deck. The restaurant is located in a central area that is popular with tourists, fishermen and boaters. Operating under the name Famous Dave's River East Grill & Barbeque, the unit is being franchised by East Port Restaurant LLC.

With the opening of the East Peoria restaurant we have taken another step forward in our strategy to aggressively grow and expand into new markets through franchising, said Martin O'Dowd, chief executive officer and president of Famous Dave's of America, Inc.

Next in line to open this Summer is a Famous Dave's franchise in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. As part of a four unit franchise agreement with Famous Dave's, the Rib King Corporation will open their second restaurant in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, Tuesday, June 6, 2000. Wisconsin Dells, one of the nation's most popular family vacation destinations year-round, draws over 2.4 million visitors each year. The new location will offer a patio area, full service bar, extensive take-out menu and provide a wide array of catering services. The Rib King Corporation already has a franchised location in Burnsville, Minnesota.

The third of this Summer's franchises to open will be a Famous Dave's Express franchise at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. This restaurant will serve its first customer June 2000. This unit is being franchised by HMSHost, which provides food service in 63 domestic airports. Located prominently on the airport's gold concourse, this high visibility location will offer a convenient menu for on-the-go travelers featuring pulled pork, barbecued chicken and beef brisket sandwiches.

HMSHost, formerly known as Host Marriott Services, is world-renowned for creating innovative concession plans in travel venues. HMSHost has revenues of $1.5 billion and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Autogrill S.p.A. Together, HMSHost and the rest of the Autogrill Group are recognized leaders in retail, food and beverage concessions serving people on the move. With operations in nineteen countries around the globe, combined company has annual revenues of over $2.4 billion.

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