Famous Dave's Names Aric Nissen as Vice President of Marketing and R&D

By: Famous Dave's | 1,019 Shares 173 Reads

Minneapolis--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Famous Dave's of America, Inc. (NASDAQ: DAVE) today announced it has named Aric Nissen as Vice President of Marketing and Research & Development, effective immediately. Famous Dave's develops, owns, operates and franchises award-winning BBQ restaurants.

Aric Nissen, 38, most recently served as Vice President of Product and Brand Marketing for International Dairy Queen, Inc., based in Minneapolis, MN. Mr. Nissen was with the company from 2002 to 2009. His many accomplishments included increasing awareness and achieving large sales gains in the signature "Blizzard" product and overseeing menu strategy and brand management for the more than 5,600 Dairy Queen® locations and approximately 400 Orange Julius® locations. Mr. Nissen even appeared with Donald Trump as a judge on The Apprentice in 2005 in connection with the company's first national network television product placement initiative.

Prior to joining Dairy Queen, Mr. Nissen was the Director of Marketing at Leeann Chin, Inc., based in Bloomington, MN, from 1999 to 2002. He also served as Director of Marketing at Country Kitchen International in Madison, WI, where he worked from 1997 to 1999. Mr. Nissen began his marketing career in 1994 as a principal in the company Design Time, a Minneapolis creative services firm. Mr. Nissen has also served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves. He holds an Executive M.B.A. and a Bachelors Degree, both from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

"Aric Nissen has demonstrated he takes a big picture approach to restaurant and brand marketing, which we expect to benefit our marketing efforts immensely," said Christopher O'Donnell, President and CEO of Famous Dave's. "At Leeann Chin, Aric worked closely with the company's founder to dramatically raise consumer awareness and to revitalize business functions and menu introductions for an already well-established brand. It's that kind of innovative approach on Aric's part that will help us identify additional ways to reach out to guests and potential guests. In the R&D area, Aric will be a key member of our team that is working on product optimization and innovation as well as menu evolution. Aric also has a history of working closely and successfully with franchisees on marketing matters, which is a focus he will continue at Famous Dave's."

About Famous Dave's. Famous Dave's of America, Inc. (NASDAQ: DAVE) develops, owns, operates and franchises BBQ restaurants. Famous Dave's has 171 locations in 36 states. Its menu features award-winning barbequed and grilled meats, an ample selection of salads, side items and sandwiches, and unique desserts.

Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical, including but not limited to statements regarding the timing of our restaurant openings and the timing or success of our expansion plans, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, which may cause the company's actual results to differ materially from expected results. Although Famous Dave's of America, Inc. believes the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectation will be attained. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Famous Dave's expectation include financial performance, restaurant industry conditions, execution of restaurant development and construction programs, franchisee performance, changes in local or national economic conditions, availability of financing, governmental approvals and other risks detailed from time to time in the company's SEC reports.

Source: Famous Dave's

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