What You Should Know about Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) is a casual dining restaurant and sports bar headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company, which was founded in 1982 by Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery, is also known as BW3—and by its previous name, Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck—which is pronounced as “Bee-Dubya-Three,” or simply “B-Dubs.” (The “weck” in the name was dropped later.)

The company serves chicken wings in 16 signature sauces and holds a minority stake in the fast-casual restaurant R Taco as well as in Pie Squared Holdings, which operates the fast-casual pizza restaurant PizzaRev. By the end of December 2015, the company operated 596 company-owned restaurants, of which 590 were Buffalo Wild Wings, four R Taco restaurants, and two PizzaRev restaurants. The company has also franchised 579 restaurants, of which 573 are Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants and six are R Taco restaurants.

Buffalo Wild Wings’ main attraction is its New York-style chicken wings, with the 16 varieties of sauces and five varieties of toppings or dips. The company’s other menu items include sharable items and sides, including flatbreads, wraps, “buffalito” soft tacos, hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads.

Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) competes with Chili’s Grill & Bar under the umbrella of Brinker International (EAT), Texas Roadhouse (TXRH), Outback Steakhouse of Bloomin’ Brands (BLMN), and Yard House of Darden Restaurants (DRI).

This company overview series will provide you with the insights into BWLD’s products, its business model, and the factors affecting its revenue growth. We’ll also do thorough financial analysis and evaluate the company’s valuation multiple and recent stock performance.

Please note that can gain exposure to the restaurant industry through the Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLY), which invests about 10% of its portfolio in restaurant stocks, including some of those mentioned above.

Let’s start by tracking the evolution of Buffalo Wild Wings in more detail.