Buffalo Wings & Rings Sees Steady Opening Sales Spikes

With their recent restaurant opening in London, Kentucky, Buffalo Wings & Rings franchisees Craig and Leslie Tincher not only crushed the system’s opening day record—they even posted a few other brand records, too. This may sound like a rare occurrence in the franchise industry—but not at Buffalo Wings & Rings. In fact, the previous records were set in place just weeks prior to the Tinchers’ grand opening.

Franchise Support Model

That’s because the corporate support offered within the Buffalo Wings & Rings system not only equips franchisees like the Tinchers with the tools they need to succeed—it also makes exceeding expectations a reality.

The Tinchers’ highly-anticipated grand opening on March 1, 2017 garnered the highest sales record for a location’s opening day. And yet, despite these groundbreaking numbers, Craig wasn’t entirely shocked by the impressive turnout—the restaurant was fielding close to 100 phone calls a week up until the opening date was announced.

It was no surprise, then, when residents from the small town of London flocked to the new Buffalo Wings & Rings the second it opened its doors, helping to post a whopping $100,000 in sales within the first week alone. This milestone came just behind the wildly successful opening week in Bismarck, North Dakota. And although the London opening fell short of the full week record, it did take the title for best short week (Wednesday through Sunday).

Craig acknowledges the fact that this accomplishment closely trails his franchisee peers, and he attributes it to them as well.

“I think it definitely helps that stores have built the brand ahead of us. That growing brand awareness creates buzz and excitement around upcoming openings, and people are eager to see what the Buffalo Wings & Rings experience is all about,” he said. “We’re in a small setting in London, but the Buffalo Wings & Rings name has been established throughout the region thanks to the many franchisees who have come before us.”

Corporate Support Key

More than brand recognition, however, Craig bases his opening success on the Buffalo Wings & Rings support model, and he credits the company’s dedication to its franchisees for helping to make such a strong opening week possible. Ahead of each opening, the corporate office sends out reinforcement, both for training and staffing purposes. They’re also just a phone call away if Craig has any questions or issues.

That ability to call on corporate for support is one of the many reasons the 70-unit Buffalo Wings & Rings system works so well. The help franchisees receive on the front end is part of CEO Nader Masadeh’s dedication to nurturing staff and crafting a team of talented people who will help grow the company.

In London, for example, the restaurant team was joined by Franchise Business Manager

Dave Seeger. According to Craig, they couldn’t have opened their restaurant without him. In his role, Seeger acts as regional point of contact for franchisees, as well as a partner to help increase revenue and guest satisfaction.

“The franchisee’s success is our success,” said Seeger. “Myself and the opening team were in London for three weeks, heading up continuous training of all staff members as well as helping with the general flow of business to make sure operations were as smooth as possible.”

In Seeger’s opinion, the London opening was successful because of Craig and Leslie Tincher. It’s that kind of collaboration between the Buffalo Wings & Rings corporate team and franchisees that truly pays off, and the hard work done together is what ultimately helps to break records.

“As in every business, we quickly learn and adapt. We stay true to our brand, but we also realize the importance of always finding something to learn from at every opening. That’s what helps us to get better and better year after year,” said Seeger.

Now, Craig is looking forward to building off of the momentum that the brand has gained over the years. Buffalo Wings & Rings, unlike many other brands within the casual dining sector, maintained a positive same store sales increase throughout 2016. And the Tinchers are optimistic their London restaurant will only add to that success, as he’s already gained regular customers in the three short weeks since opening.