PRIVATE EQUITY OWNED
Buffalo Wild Wings
Includes BWW, B-Dubs, BW3
casual dining · Atlanta, GA
- PE Firm
- Roark Capital →
- Acquirer
- Inspire Brands
- Year Acquired
- 2018
Wings got absorbed into a PE buying spree. The only thing wild now is the overhead.
What They Did
- Roark's Inspire Brands acquired Buffalo Wild Wings for $2.9 billion in 2018, then immediately cut 132 corporate jobs — more than a quarter of HQ staff
- Corporate headquarters consolidated from Golden Valley, MN to Inspire's Atlanta HQ; entire executive team replaced
- Pulled out of Canada entirely in 2023, and the U.S. chain has lost restaurants every year since
- Faced class-action lawsuits over hidden takeout service fees and misleading consumers about 'boneless wings'
Since the Acquisition
- Wing prices have roughly doubled since 2010 — a 20-piece order went from $20 to $28, cheese curds from $6.79 to $11.49, and a casual dinner for two can clear $60 before drinks
- Customers report 20-30 minute waits just to place an order, with chronic understaffing so bad that one viral video showed diners calling the restaurant's phone from their table to get a server's attention
- If your nearest Buffalo Wild Wings was in Canada, it was gone by mid-2023 — and U.S. locations have been closing faster than new ones open
- Trustpilot rating sits at 1.6 out of 5 — the recurring pattern in reviews is wrong orders, cold food, and servers who have too many tables to care
Sources
- Roark Capital's track record — Restaurant Business(2024-06-03)
- 132 Jobs Being Cut at Buffalo Wild Wings' Corporate — FSR Magazine(2018-04-03)
- New owner will cut 132 jobs at BWW — Star Tribune(2018-04-03)
- New owner will cut 132 jobs at BWW — Star Tribune (archive)(2018-04-03)
- Buffalo Wild Wings Shrinks Again in 2025 While BWW GO Surges — FSR Magazine
- Wing chain permanently closes all locations in Ontario — blogTO (archived)(2023-06-28)