Wild Results: Buffalo Wild Wings Promotion Pays Huge Dividends

Buffalo Wild Wings’ weekday foot traffic soared to new heights thanks to a deal that was welcomed by customers fed up with inflation. The chain’s $19.99 unlimited boneless wings and fries deal was one of the most effective promotions ever observed by location analytics firm Placer.ai.

“After battling food and other inflationary pressures over the past two years, consumers are clearly in a bargain-driven mindset,” said RJ Hottovy, Placer’s head of analytical research. .have. “Buffalo Wild Wings’ all-you-can-eat promotion on Mondays and Wednesdays in May was one of the most successful visit-building promotions we’ve seen in the casual dining category in some time .

The promotion, which began in mid-May, saw visits on Monday May 27 increase by almost 56% compared to the average number of Monday visitors over the previous four months. Likewise, on Wednesday May 29, attendance increased by almost 37% compared to the average Wednesday attendance.

“A lot of (restaurant) concepts have deals that people don’t respond to because they don’t like the concept,” noted Dan Rowe, CEO of Fransmart. “People love Buffalo Wild Wings’ chicken wings and fries anyway, so when you have a really good deal, people respond.”

Have they ever done it.

Consider: On Monday, April 22 – before the all-you-can-eat deal began – customer visits to Buffalo Wild Wings were down 13.9% compared to average foot traffic for the first few months of this year. Monday May 20, attendance at the restaurant chain was up 43.9% compared to the same period.

Midweek traffic received a similar boost; on Wednesday, April 17, visits to Buffalo Wild Wings were down 8.4% compared to the first quarter of 2024. On Wednesday, May 22 – as the promotion now kicks into high gear – visits to the chain’s establishments increased by 73.9%. .

These results are in stark contrast to what Red Lobster experienced in recent years when it offered an all-you-can-eat offering. According to the Buffalo Wild Wings website, its current promotion is for a limited time, only for dine-in customers, and has a limit of “1 per person/per order,” with “no sharing.”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise,” Hottovy said, “to see other chains introduce similar limited-time promotions in the near future.”

Food Institute Podcast

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