Buffalo Wild Wings

In 1982 Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery opened the first restaurant near The Ohio State University. It was originally named Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck and later became popularly known as “bw-3.”⁠[1]

In 1991 the company began its franchising program, and in 1992 its first franchised restaurant opened.⁠[1][1]

In 1994, when the company had nine company-owned and 26 franchised restaurants, it hired Sally Smith as chief financial officer and Mary Twinem as controller; in 1996 Smith was promoted to president and chief executive and Twinem to chief financial officer. Smith went on to build a management team in marketing, real estate, operations, franchising, and human resources. At the end of 1996 the company had 10 company-owned and 61 franchised restaurants.⁠[1][1][1]

Beginning in 1997, to create a consistent brand identity, the company rolled out a new restaurant design and décor package, transitioned the brand to Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, and converted its restaurants to a flexible service model, while broadening its menu and formalizing its real estate and franchise expansion strategy. At the end of 1999 the company had 26 company-owned and 79 franchised restaurants.⁠[1][1][1]

On November 20, 2003, Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Buffalo Wild Wings issued the prospectus for its initial public offering of 3,000,000 shares of common stock at $17 per share, raising $51 million in gross proceeds, with the stock quoted on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol “BWLD.” As of October 15 that year, the company operated 78 restaurants and franchised another 142.⁠[1][1][1][1][1]

On October 11, 2016, Buffalo Wild Wings announced the appointment of Andre Fernandez, Hal Lawton, and Harmit Singh as independent directors, expanding the board from eight to nine members; two long-serving directors, Dale Applequist and Warren Mack, advanced their retirements.⁠[2][2][2][2]

In the fiscal year ended December 25, 2016, Buffalo Wild Wings recorded total revenue of $1.987 billion (including $1.892 billion in company-owned restaurant sales and $95.18 million in franchise royalties and fees) and net earnings attributable to the company of $94.75 million. At fiscal year-end the system had 1,240 restaurants: 621 company-owned and 602 franchised Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants, plus R Taco and PizzaRev fast-casual restaurants in which the company was involved; it employed about 44,000 team members. Outside the United States, the company operated company-owned restaurants in Canada, and franchised restaurants were located in Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Panama.⁠[3][3][3][3][3][3][3][3]

On June 2, 2017, president and chief executive Sally J. Smith notified the board of her decision to retire before the end of the year, remaining in office until a successor was named, and withdrew her candidacy for election to the board at that year’s annual meeting.⁠[4][4]

At the annual meeting held the same day, Scott O. Bergren and Richard T. McGuire III, nominated by the investment firm Marcato Capital Management, were elected to the board; according to the preliminary count, the nine directors elected also included company nominees Cynthia L. Davis, Andre J. Fernandez, Janice L. Fields, Harry A. Lawton, Jerry R. Rose, and Harmit J. Singh, and Sam B. Rovit, who was nominated by both sides.⁠[5][5][5]

On November 28, 2017, Buffalo Wild Wings and Arby’s Restaurant Group announced a definitive merger agreement under which the latter would acquire the former for $157 per share in cash, in a transaction valued at about $2.9 billion including net debt, a premium of about 38% to the 30-day volume-weighted average share price as of November 13 (the last trading day before news reports speculating about a deal). Both boards approved the deal unanimously, and Marcato-advised funds holding about 6.4% of the shares agreed to vote in favor. Under the agreement, Buffalo Wild Wings would owe Arby’s a $74 million termination fee in certain circumstances.⁠[6][6][6][6]

Sally Smith said the transaction provided compelling value to shareholders. Buffalo Wild Wings then had more than 1,250 restaurants in 10 countries, and its menu featured 21 signature sauces and seasonings.⁠[6][6][6]

On February 5, 2018, the merger was completed: a merger subsidiary of an Arby’s affiliate merged into Buffalo Wild Wings, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of that affiliate, each share of common stock was converted into the right to receive $157 in cash, and the stock was withdrawn from listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market before the open of trading that day. The same day, Inspire Brands, built on Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings, was launched, headquartered in Atlanta with a support center in Minneapolis.⁠[7][7][7][7][8]

In August 2018 franchisee Mirchi Wild Wings opened the second Buffalo Wild Wings in Hyderabad, India, featuring a virtual reality gaming area and a menu adapted to local tastes with items such as Basil Grilled Fish and Grilled Paneer Skewers; Indian actor Allu Arjun, an investor in the brand locally, attended the opening.⁠[9][9][9][9]

On September 17, 2018, Inspire named Lyle Tick, a former managing director of Walgreens Boots Alliance’s beauty brands business in the Americas who had also worked at Bacardi, as president of Buffalo Wild Wings, based at Inspire’s Global Support Center in Atlanta; John Bowie, interim president since February 2018, resumed his role as chief operating officer. At the time the brand described itself as the largest sports bar chain in the country, with more than 1,200 restaurants in 10 countries.⁠[10][10][10][10][10]

In December 2018 Buffalo Wild Wings unveiled a new sports bar design intended to bring the brand back to its roots as an American sports bar.⁠[11]

On September 5, 2019, Buffalo Wild Wings entered a multi-year partnership with MGM Resorts International and its sports betting venture Roar Digital (a 50/50 venture between MGM and GVC Holdings) to deliver sports gaming experiences in its restaurants through MGM’s digital gaming platform BetMGM, in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. The first product was Picks and Props, a free-to-play, mobile-only football game available nationwide; the partners also planned a sports betting test program in New Jersey later that year and a Buffalo Wild Wings sports bar at Mandalay Bay.⁠[12][12][12][12][12][12]

On May 13, 2020, the first Buffalo Wild Wings “GO” restaurant, designed specifically for takeout and delivery, opened in Sandy Springs, Georgia; the roughly 1,800-square-foot restaurant had a walk-up counter, digital menu boards, and heated takeout lockers. In the preceding weeks the brand had converted more than 1,250 sports bars to a to-go-only model, and its takeout and delivery business grew more than 140% over six weeks.⁠[13][13][13][13][13][13]

On February 6, 2023, Tristan Meline, previously vice president of brand management, was named chief marketing officer of Buffalo Wild Wings, responsible for advertising, brand and field marketing, strategic planning, and menu development. The brand then had more than 1,200 restaurants in nine countries.⁠[14][14][14][14]

In April 2024 the 100th standalone BWW GO location opened in New York City, operated by franchisee The Munson Restaurant Group. The brand also equipped all of its more than 1,300 sports bars with GO for takeout and delivery and launched a new visual identity and a GO-branded e-commerce experience; franchisees had committed to nearly 600 more GO locations, 85% of them from existing Inspire franchisees. Then-brand president John Bowie called Buffalo Wild Wings the largest sports bar brand in America.⁠[15][15][15][15][15][15]

In August 2025 the 200th standalone BWW GO location opened in Harwood Heights in the Chicago area, operated by franchisee The Hena Group, which already ran Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins restaurants. Since opening the first GO in 2020, the brand has accelerated GO growth in a variety of formats, including multi-brand and co-located concepts.⁠[16][16][16]

On December 10, 2025, Inspire announced that chief marketing officer Tristan Meline had been promoted to brand president of Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bars, overseeing the master brand, brand marketing and advertising, and all aspects of the sports bar business, succeeding John Bowie, who retired after 12 years with Inspire and its brands; it also created the new role of president of Buffalo Wild Wings GO, filled by Leandro Gasparin, a former global COO of Oakberry who had held roles at Popeyes and Burger KingBurger KingBurger King is a fast-food hamburger chain founded in Miami in 1954, known for its flame-grilled burgers and its signature Whopper, and is the world’s second-largest fast-food hamburger chain by number of restaurants. Since 2014 it has been part of Restaurant Brands International, a Canada-incorporated company headquartered in Miami, together with Tim Hortons, and the vast majority of its restaurants are run by franchisees.Open the full entry.⁠[17][17][17][17]

On June 30, 2026, Inspire announced that Scott Nelson, formerly head of marketing at Tatte Bakery & Café, would join Buffalo Wild Wings as chief marketing officer, leading all marketing and culinary efforts; on August 25 it announced that Ahmed Awadallah, formerly chief operating officer of Espresso House Group, who had worked in Pizza HutPizza HutPizza Hut is a pizza restaurant chain founded in 1958 by brothers Dan Carney and Frank Carney in Wichita, Kansas, known for pizzas such as the Original Pan and Original Stuffed Crust; at the end of 2025 it had nearly 20,000 restaurants in 108 countries and territories. PepsiCo acquired it in 1977, and in 1997 it went with PepsiCo’s restaurant spin-off into the company that became Yum! Brands. In 2026 Yum! Brands sold it in two transactions for $2.7 billion in the aggregate: the Mainland China business to Yum China and the rest to the private equity firm LongRange Capital.Open the full entry’s European business at Yum! BrandsYum! BrandsYum! Brands is a restaurant franchising group headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker YUM). Its brands are KFC, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger & Grill, and as of September 2026 it operated or franchised more than 44,000 restaurants in 151 countries and territories; it and Yum China Holdings, which runs these brands in mainland China, are two separate publicly traded companies.Open the full entry, would become chief operating officer of Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bars. As of August 2026, the brand had more than 1,400 restaurants in nine global markets, including more than 1,200 sports bars.⁠[18][18][18][19][19][19][19][19]

Buffalo Wild Wings is known for Buffalo, New York-style chicken wings served with a range of sauces and dry seasonings, and its restaurants are equipped with multimedia systems for watching sporting events. According to Inspire’s fiscal 2025 figures, the brand had more than 1,400 restaurants in nine global markets and system sales of $4.2 billion; Inspire positions it as the leading sports bar chain in the United States.⁠[6][6][20][20][20]

As of October 2026, the brand is organized into two business lines: the sports bars, led by brand president Tristan Meline, and the takeout-and-delivery Buffalo Wild Wings GO, led by president Leandro Gasparin.⁠[21][17]

Buffalo Wild Wings: Official website: https://www.buffalowildwings.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[22]

Inspire Brands: Official website: https://inspirebrands.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[8]

X: Public account: https://x.com/BWWings (opens in a new window)⁠[22]