Buffalo Wild Wings Unveils New Look

Buffalo Wild Wings has begun sharing much of the new look that would accompany its continued growth in the United States and abroad, including a new logo and a glimpse at a new restaurant design that will debut later this year.

The Minneapolis-based chain of nearly 840 casual-dining restaurants unveiled the updated logo this week and provided details on its upcoming redesign, which will first happen at one restaurant each in Cincinnati and San Diego this year. The interior upgrade includes a new audiovisual package that will enable Buffalo Wild Wings' goal of emulating the atmosphere of a sports stadium on game day, officials said.

"As our brand has evolved over the past 30 years to meet the needs of our guests and stay modern, fresh and relevant, we continually strive to bring that game day energy to life in our restaurants," Sally Smith, the brand's president and chief executive, said in a statement. "This year our guests will begin to see the evolution of our brand in new and exciting ways."

Most of the new builds Buffalo Wild Wings has planned for 2013, as well as many remodels, will feature the new design. Apart from making sports viewing an even more focal part of the guest experience, the redesigned restaurants will also include operational changes to maximize efficiency — "which means faster service, hotter wings and colder beer," Smith said.

Many other chains within casual dining and other industry segments have targeted the same sales lift and efficiencies from remodeling, including Applebee's, which projects to have half its system reimaged by year-end, and Darden Restaurants, which is planning more locations that house both Olive Garden and Red Lobster. Similarly, Luby's will test co-branding its cafeterias with its sibling burger brand Fuddrucker's.

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In quick service and fast casual, remodels and reimaging are major initiatives for McDonald's, Wendy's, Così and Taco Cabana.

Buffalo Wild Wings worked on its brand update for more than a year with Columbus, Ohio-based design firm Fitch, officials said.

As for the new logo, the words "grill and bar" have been dropped in order to indicate that the chain is not just a sports bar but rather a gathering place for sports fans and a neighborhood destination, executive vice president of brand marketing and global development Kathy Benning said in a statement. She added that the updated logo and trade dress would be more adaptable to international growth.

"As we prepare for further international expansion, this change allows the Buffalo Wild Wings logo to more easily represent our brand abroad and be slightly modified for local cultures," Benning said. "The changes give us more flexibility in the use of the logo, and it appeals to our wide and growing audience, including women, while maintaining a sporty masculinity."

The buffalo mascot in the new logo has a more athletic and powerful look, she said, with larger wings, narrower eyes and upturned horns. Buffalo Wild Wings also is using a new font for its logo.

The restaurant redesign, which chain officials had hinted at the past several quarters during earnings calls with securities analysts, is the latest change of several to take place at Buffalo Wild Wings over the past few years.

This past January, the brand moved its account to a new ad agency, Minneapolis-based Fallon. It also had revamped part of its menu last year to include more shareable items like Soft Pretzels and Spinach Artichoke Chicken Flatbread, which won a MenuMasters Award from Nation's Restaurant News.

Buffalo Wild Wings operates and franchises restaurants in 48 states and Canada. The chain opened its first international unit in 2011, near Toronto.

Contact Mark Brandau at mark.brandau@penton.com.
Follow him on Twitter: @Mark_from_NRN