A national barbecue chain is setting up shop on one of Johns Creek's busiest commercial corridors, with plans to use the location as a launchpad for statewide expansion.
Famous Dave's Bar-B-Que will open at 10710 State Bridge Road, Suite 150, this fall, according to a report in the Johns Creek Herald published Thursday, July 30. The address carries an Alpharetta mailing designation but sits within Johns Creek city limits. The roughly 2,800-square-foot space will operate as a quick-service restaurant focused on carryout, family meals, and catering.
The location is run by a local ownership group called The Georgia Partnership. Its three principals are Derek S. Scott, M.D., a sports and rehabilitation medicine physician who moved to metro Atlanta from Tacoma, Washington; operations developer Vetra A. Stephens; and growth strategist Lord Bryan DeGraffenreid, originally from Kansas City, Missouri.
The group calls the Johns Creek restaurant its "flagship location for long-term growth across Georgia," according to a press release cited by the Herald. Their franchise agreement with Famous Dave's covers three locations, with Buckhead and Marietta among future target areas.
Scott is no stranger to the restaurant business. He previously owned a restaurant called Taste of Chicago while attending Meharry Medical College in Nashville, serving Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches and hot dogs to late-night students.
"When I moved here from Tacoma, Wash., I noticed we have some OK barbecue places here, but nothing is the same as Famous Dave's as far as the taste and the value or the bang for the buck," Scott told What Now Atlanta in December 2025, when the group announced the Johns Creek location and its original March opening target. "We just felt a void in the community that needed to be filled."
The menu will include St. Louis-style ribs, Texas beef brisket, Georgia chopped pork, and country-roasted chicken, along with house-made sides like coleslaw, beans, fries, and cornbread muffins. The chain is also known for its lineup of signature barbecue sauces.
Famous Dave's was founded in 1994 in Hayward, Wisconsin, and now operates 111 locations across 30 states plus four international outposts. MTY Food Group acquired the brand in 2022.
The opening was originally targeted for March 2026 but has since shifted to fall. No specific grand opening date has been announced. Residents can check famousdaves.com for updates.
