BUFFALO WILD WINGS

BUFFALO WILD WINGS

Buffalo Wild Wings franchises sports entertainment-oriented casual/fast casual restaurants called Sports Bars, featuring chicken wings, sandwiches, other food products, and beverages including alcoholic drinks, prepared according to proprietary recipes and served in a distinctive environment with sports viewing. The business model involves granting franchise agreements for single units or area developments, with franchisees operating under the Buffalo Wild Wings System and Trademarks, including options for non-traditional and multi-brand locations. The target market is the general public seeking casual dining, carry-out, delivery, and sports entertainment experiences.

538
Locations
$2450K–$4883K
Investment
Since 1991
Franchising
Food & BeverageAtlanta, GAInspire Brands, Inc.www.buffalowildwings.comDisclaimer

Franchise Costs


Franchise Fee
$25,000
Item 5 of FDD
Initial Investment Range
$2,450,345 $4,883,320
Low: $2,450,345High: $4,883,320
Item 7 of FDD
Royalty Rate
5.00%
of gross sales
Brand Fund
4.00%
Item 6 of FDD
Fixed Monthly Fees
$45 – $90
Item 6 of FDD

5% royalty + 3.75-4% ad fund + $45-90/mo fixed fees (contactless payment, learning system, menu support, co-op accounting)

Financial Performance


Item 19 Financial Performance

Average Gross Revenue
$0
Median Gross Revenue
$0
Top Quartile Revenue
$0
Bottom Quartile Revenue
$0

Data Based On: 527 franchised Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bars (called the “2024 Franchised Sports Bars") providing AUVs during 2024, including 5 non-traditional locations, and excluding 8 units not open for the full year and 2 units that closed in 2024.

* All average and median revenue figures are directly extracted from the provided tables. The reported overall average gross revenue of $3,567,504 was verified by calculating the weighted average of the quartile averages using their respective unit counts (132 units * $5,098,086 + 131 units * $3,797,180 + 132 units * $3,085,739 + 132 units * $2,290,751) / 527 total units = $3,567,504.01. No profit figures were calculated as the document explicitly states that financial performance representations do not reflect costs of sales, operating expenses, or other costs to obtain net income or profit.

Extracted Item 19 Section

How BUFFALO WILD WINGS Compares


Key Insights

  • Higher investment than 82% of Casual Dining franchises
  • #2 largest franchise system in Casual Dining
  • One of the lowest SBA loan default rates in Casual Dining
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
BUFFALO WILD WINGS
Current
$2.5M – $4.9M$25K5.0%538
IHOP & INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES$1.8M – $4.5M$69KN/A1,703
GOLDEN CORRAL STEAKS, BUFFET & BAKERY$2.1M – $8.5M$50K4.0%352
GOLDEN CORRAL$2.2M – $8.7M$50K4.0%348
ORIGINAL PANCAKE HOUSE (THE)$483K – $1.7M$60K2.0%146
Outback Steakhouse$4.3M – $9.0M$40K5.0%122
Casual Dining Average
44 franchises
$1.5M – $3.5M$43K4.6%

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 44 Casual Dining franchises by location count.

Locations & Growth


Outlet Growth Over Time

Total outlets at end of each year

Geographic Distribution (2024)

Outlets by state across the United States

Top States
1OH
63
2MI
60
3IN
47
4IL
38
5CA
33
6TX
26
7OK
21
8MO
21
9VA
20
10AL
20
11LA
16
12NY
15
13FL
14
14NJ
13
15WV
11

+24 more states

SBA Loan History


Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for BUFFALO WILD WINGS franchisees (20102025)

Total Loans
43
Average Loan
$706,944
Total Volume
$30.4M
Default Rate
0.0%

Loans by Year

SBA 7(a) loan activity over time

* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.

Franchisee Contacts


538 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

NameSBA Loan
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active
John Smith
ABC Franchise LLC
$350,000
2023 · Active

538 Contacts Available

Unlock all BUFFALO WILD WINGS franchisee contacts with verified contact information

Due Diligence


Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases0
No litigation involving franchisees reported

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
0
Non-Renewals
0
Reacquired
0
Ceased Ops
2
Transfers
21
Sold to Franchisees
0
Projected New
10

Frequently Asked Questions


The total initial investment to open a BUFFALO WILD WINGS franchise ranges from $2,450,345 to $4,883,320. This includes a franchise fee of $25,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.

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