Buffalo Wild Wings
Food & Beverage · Full-Service Restaurants
- Active units
- 549
- Royalty
- 5.0%
Franchised, year-end 2025
of weekly Net Sales
About Buffalo Wild Wings
This brick-and-mortar franchise operates as a casual dining restaurant and sports bar specializing in traditional and boneless chicken wings. Each location features a sports-viewing environment equipped with multiple wall-to-wall television screens and a full-service bar offering a selection of draft and craft beers. The menu includes various proprietary sauces, as well as burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers. Beyond on-site dining, the model supports takeout, delivery, and catering services for families and social groups.
Key terms
- Standard incentive
Royalty Fee credit equal to $325,000 per qualifying new Sports Bar
- Early Opening Incentive
0% Royalty Fee from opening until required opening date, up to 6 months
- VetFran Program
Royalty Fee credit of $10,000 per Sports Bar, up to $100,000
- Brand fund
4.0% of Net Sales
- Local advertising
0.3% of Net Sales
- Footprint
3,500 – 6,500 sq ft
- Development Fee
$13k
- Veteran discount
Not offered
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations549
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings15
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate2.0%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR1.6%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio15.0×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)$2.7M
Gross Sales equals total revenues and receipts from the sale of all products, services, and merchandise in or related to the Sports Bar, including catering, of…
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)$4.2M
Gross Sales equals total revenues and receipts from the sale of all products, services, and merchandise in or related to the Sports Bar, including catering, of…
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate11.7%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$3.7M
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open14 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - Royalty rate5.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio—
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
Create your free Glidepath account to access full brand information.
Location footprint
Showing 530 of 986 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.