All-you-can-eat offering of B-Dubs has significantly increased traffic

A crucial part of promoting Buffalo Wild Wings all you can eat is the schedule. It’s clearly being marketed as being available for a limited period of time, which differs from the death blow Red Lobster suffered when implementing the return of its once-popular Endless Shrimp promotion. The management team took a gamble by making it a permanent menu item, and they wasted a lot of time. Although foot traffic increased significantly at Red Lobster restaurants, the decision is partly credited with pushing them into bankruptcy, posting an $11 million loss in the third quarter of 2023 and leading the owners to file for divestment of their Red Lobster holdings.

Buffalo Wild Wings and other chains with all-you-can-eat specialties, including Olive Garden’s occasional Never Ending Pasta Bowl, have the advantage of generating advertising and foot traffic, but with an end game. However, industry experts warn of the undesirable effects of super deals, even short-term ones. The hope is that customers will spend elsewhere on the menu to make up for losses, but this is not always the case and some diners inevitably consume too much.

Plus, high-consumption specials mean customers are likely to stay at the table much longer. This can result in limited table turnover, longer wait times, and fewer tips for restaurant servers. Another danger is increased customer expectations for lower prices. So far, Buffalo Wild Wings is holding strong in its commitment to unlimited wings and fries. He even appeared to lash out at his failed rival with a tweet: “Please don’t put us out of business.”