A note from the owners of Famous Five Dining:

God’s amazing blessings upon life-long friends produced this restaurant management company in the fall of 2001.  Today, Famous Five Dining employs over 400 people in five different Famous Dave’s restaurants in Tennessee.  Five values are our name:  Faith, Family, Friends and Famous Food . ( To our way of thinking, “Famous” is a value unto itself!)  When you proclaim them by name, you better live them well.  That’s why we operate our business by what we call the “FD Rule”:  Treat others BETTER than they expect to be treated.  We trust our “family” of employees and the Guests who become our “friends” will feel at home in our restaurants.  More importantly, we trust that God will be honored by how we care for His blessings.

Mike & Tamara Lister ~ Doug & Laurel Renegar

About Famous Five Dining:

Two husband/wife teams lead the company.  The ladies were best friends in high school.  The guys were fraternity brothers who worked their way through college serving tables in the same restaurant.  Mike and Tamara started dating the night Doug and Laurel got married.  Twenty years later, they pooled their resources, moved their families to Nashville and formed Famous Five Dining.

Famous Five Dining, Inc. has the rights to franchise “Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que” throughout Central & East Tennessee and parts of North Georgia. Currently, it operates Famous Dave’s restaurants in Hermitage, Franklin, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Smyrna, Tennessee.

Owners Mike and Tamara Lister, and Doug and Laurel Renegar have over 70 years of combined experience in the industry.  Mike formerly served Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. as its Senior Vice President of Operations, helping grow the company from 4 to 50 restaurants.  Doug most recently served as the Franchise Business Coach of Kentucky Fried Chicken, consulting with 35 franchise companies in the Southeast.  Previously he was a Director of Operations for KFC.  Together, Doug and Mike handle operations and future growth for the company.  Laurel Renegar, who serves as Chief Financial Officer, has her master’s degree in finance and honed her talents in the health care field before turning to restaurants. Tamara Lister handles both marketing and human resources.  She worked in the television industry as a news anchor and reporter before plying her skills in the Hospitality Industry.

“Famous Food is our passion,” declares Mike.  “Famous Dave’s Founder, Dave Anderson, spent 25 years perfecting his cooking methods, flavors and sauces.  He spent much of that time in the South, experimenting with ways to match the flavors that make ‘Southern Barbeque’ great. That’s why we’ve won more than 300 national, regional and local flavor contests.” 

“We want our Guests to be as passionate about our food as we are,” Doug says.  “One taste will convince anyone!  And we promise that our Hospitality will be Famous as well!”

Our Hermitage, Tennessee (a suburb of Nashville ) restaurant opened in December 2001.  The Knoxville restaurant at I-40 and Cedar Bluff Road (officially 208 Advantage Place) opened in December 2002.  This was followed by the Chattanooga location less than 3 months later. Franklin, TN became home to a Famous Five Dining restaurant in December 2003, located near the Cool Springs Galleria. Our Smyrna, TN restaurant is located just off Sam Ridley Parkway and I-24 and opened in June 2006. To date, the restaurants are performing well financially and earning local recognition as well.  Included in the “honors” list:

Nashville’s BBQ Food Find – The Food Network

Best Ribs – Nashville Scene Readers

Best BBQ - Franklin Sizzle Award

Best BBQ - Chattanooga Times Free Press Readers

Best Caterer - Chattanooga Times Free Press Readers

Best BBQ - Knox Rocks Winner - WIMZ

Best Dessert - Taste of Stones River

One of Nashville’s Best BBQ Joints – Nashville Scene Readers

One of Nashville’s Friendliest Wait Staffs – Nashville Scene Readers

One of Nashville’s Best Caterers – Nashville Scene Readers

#1 Barbecue Restaurant – Best of MSN’s Citysearch.com

#1 Family Friendly Restaurant – Best of MSN’s Citysearch.com

#1 Group Dining Restaurant – Best of MSN’s Citysearch.com

Best New Restaurant – Chattanooga News Free Press Readers

People’s Choice Award – Taste of Chattanooga 2002 & 2003

Critic’s Choice – Best Dessert – Taste of Chattanooga 2003 & 2003

Silver Spoon Award – Taste of the Shoals

Bliss Kiss Award – Best BBQ – Bliss Magazine

BBQ Favorite – Times Daily Readers

Top 5 BBQ Joints in Knoxville - WBIR-TV’s “Style”; “

Best BBQ - Williamson Parent Magazine

Best Ribs - Times Daily readers

Knox Rocks Award - Best BBQ - WIMZ listeners

Best BBQ - Chattanooga Times Free Press readers

Best Caterer - Chattanooga Times Free Press readers

Sizzle Award - Southern Exposure readers

Best BBQ - Runner Up - Metro Pulse readers

The accolades don’t stop there.  The Hermitage restaurant was selected Rookie Restaurant of the Year and Franchise Restaurant of the Year by Famous Dave’s of America in 2002. In 2003, it was named Restaurant of the Year among all restaurants in the system. The Rookie honor went to the Chattanooga restaurant in 2003.  And on top of that, Famous Five Dining was named Famous Dave’s Franchisee of the Year for 2003 and again in 2004.  Additionally, Famous Five Dining received the first Enduring Flame Award, which celebrates FFD’s commitment to culture and people development. And in 2008, Famous Five Dining was awarded FDA's first Community Service Award for its contributions to and support of Make-A-Wish and other local organizations that make their communities stronger.

“God has so richly blessed us with this opportunity,” says Laurel.  “We are truly committed to sharing those blessings with others.”

“Owning your own business isn’t just about making a living for your family.  It’s about what you, in turn, can do for others,” Tamara says. “We are anxious to find the different ways we can be involved in the lives of the communities we serve.” Each fall, the company hosts a golf tournament to benefit the Make A Wish Foundation.  At Christmas each year, the restaurants offer "Wish Wreaths".  These are decorated with names of area Wish Children, and a gift that will make their wish not only come true, but come true in a bigger way! Additionally, each restaurant provides thousands of dollars of support for local schools, charities and community organizations each year.

In 2007, the company spearheaded "Operations Famous Salute" in each of its restaurants inviting Guests, employees and neighbors to write letters to soldiers serving overseas. Famous Five took care of the postage!

The commitment to family and friends extends to those who operate the company on a daily basis, and provide focus for what happens next. Chris Benner, long-time friend of the Listers and Renegars, is the company’s Director of Operations, supervising the day-to-day functions of the business. He's presently devoting extra attention to the Hermitage and Cool Springs restaurants in the role of General Manager. Chris was an Area Director for Famous Daveís prior to joining Famous Five Dining.Chris was an Area Director for Famous Dave’s prior to joining Famous Five Dining. He's serving as the Hermitage General Manager in addition to his corporate duties presently. Rick Lister, Mike’s brother, is General Manager in Chattanooga. He was FFD’s first employee and helped open its first restaurant. Tim Burress brings a long family friendship and many years of management experience to our Knoxville restaurant. Dan Ogg guides the Smyrna restaurant, which expects to enjoy great growth as the commercial center around the restaurant develops. Famous Five Dining appreciates the passion and commitment each person brings to the company, our Guests and our fellow employees.

Famous Five Dining, Inc. is a privately held company.

Famous Five Dining is a Franchisee of Famous Dave's of America
©2008 Famous Five Dining • Home of the BIG SLAB ™