Famous Dave's has no secret menu in the In-N-Out sense — there is no memorized list of code words that unlocks a hidden item. What it does have is a kitchen that builds plates from components, an add-on structure priced generously, and a handful of combinations that beat the printed menu on both value and eating. These are the ones that actually work.
Famous Dave's prices at a glance
The prices referenced on this page, collected up front. They vary by location and change without notice.
| Instead of | Order | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Meat Combo, $28.89 | 2 Meat Combo $24.49 + extra meat $6.69 | Worse. The third meat inside the combo costs only $4.40. |
| Two à la carte sides, $8.98 | One pint side, $6.69 | Better. More food, less money, meant for sharing. |
| Burnt Ends Platter, $24.99 | Burnt Ends Appetizer, $16.69 | Better if you want them as a starter to share. |
| Loaded Baked Potato, $12.19 | BBQ Stuffed Baked Potato, $14.49 | Better. $2.30 buys the meat. |
The burnt ends and rib tips plate
The best off-menu build here. Order a Southside Rib Tips Platter ($16.99) and add extra meat ($6.69) as burnt ends. That is $23.68 for two of the fattiest, most-praised things on the menu, against $24.99 for a Burnt Ends Platter alone. You pay a dollar less and get roughly twice the meat, because rib tips are the trimmings from the St. Louis cut and are priced accordingly — they are the single most mispriced item in the customer's favor.
The split-slab rule, which is not a trick but should be
Two people who both want ribs should never order two half slabs. Two 1/2 Slabs of St. Louis spareribs are 2 × $26.69 = $53.38 for twelve bones. One Big Slab is $36.69 for the same twelve bones. Ask for it split onto two plates; kitchens do this without comment. You save $16.69 — the exact price of a pound of meat.
Add-ons that outperform the item they mimic
The pattern: add-ons are good value, upgrades inside a combo are better value still. Check which one you are actually being offered before saying yes.
Sauce moves
Every table carries all five bottles at no charge, which is effectively a free flight and something most chains do not do. The off-menu part is asking the kitchen to cook with them.
- Devil's Spit on anything. It exists as a burger at $17.79, but the habanero sauce can go on rib tips, wings or brisket if you ask. It is genuinely hot, not decorative.
- Ribs dry, sauce on the side. A slab arrives sauced and fired by default. Asking for it dry gives you bark instead of glaze, and you can sauce bone by bone.
- Texas Pit on brisket, Georgia Mustard on pork. The default bottle at the table is Rich & Sassy, which is sweet and heavy and flattens both. Full detail in the Famous Dave's sauce guide.
Things people claim work but do not
- Ordering off the Lil' Wilbur kids' menu as an adult. A Kids' Rib Dinner at $9.49 is tempting, but most locations restrict the kids' menu by age and will decline. Do not build a plan around it.
- Asking for a Feast to be split across checks. Feasts are single-ticket items. Split the bill afterwards instead.
- Free sauce bottles to take home. Bottled sauce is a retail item where it is sold, not a giveaway.
The genuinely useful ordering rules
- Ask what came off the smoker most recently. Table service means someone can actually tell you.
- Order rib tips before 6:00 PM. Supply is capped by how many racks were trimmed that morning — see the hours guide for what sells out and when.
- Skip the appetizers. Dave's Sampler Platter at $27.79 and Double Winger at $31.99 are where a manageable bill becomes an unmanageable one. Onion Strings at $8.89 is the only starter priced sensibly.
- Above five people, take a Feast. The All-American at $99.89 undercuts individual ordering by roughly $40 at six people and $85 at eight.
None of this is secret. It is just arithmetic that the printed Famous Dave's menu does not do for you.