This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Business & Tech

Buffalo Wild Wings: Music, Games and Blazin' Wings

Grab some pals to enjoy a good game, beer and wings.

On a strip of land sandwiched and poised between opposite directions of Route 22 is the newly opened franchise of Buffalo Wild Wings in Bridgewater. 

Entrances are available on either side of this island location, for easy access.

Now open for a mere two weeks since April 18, this franchise is already very popular with the locals.

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

"We've gotten good word-of-mouth," said Brian Anderson, director of operations.

And the crowd of patrons queued outside, holding buzzers while waiting for tables is testament to his statement. At the takeout counter, when I requested a menu, I was informed by a staff member: "We're actually so busy, we don't have any more."

Humorous and animated, Buffalo Wild Wings' website is a symbolic satellite of the restaurants where free Wi-Fi is provided. Full of fun vibes and easygoing creativity, the site offers free downloads, video games and film school contests. 

Interested in local real estate?Subscribe to Patch's new newsletter to be the first to know about open houses, new listings and more.

Visiting the site before dining at the restaurant itself would help situate you in the right mode and mood—then visit the site after dining to purchase souvenirs, sauces, seasoning, clothes, gift cards and other knickknacks from the online gift shop. 

Join Buffalo Circle to receive e-mail updates, promotions, news of special events and menu changes.  On Facebook, B-Dubs—the nickname fans like to use for the restaurant chain—invites participation from its customers, and albums of photos and videos abound for perusal.

After a 20-minute wait, the buzzer turned rambunctious, and soon I was comfortably seated near the full-service bar. The interior is, well, imagine being at the stadium, watching your favorite team play, and this setting overlapping a crowded bar scene. 

With an equally similar sound level, meaning loud, it is better for people-watching, meeting new folks and hanging out with pals rather than a quiet romantic secluded hideaway date.

Rock music and contemporary hits occupy a thread of the sound tapestry. Not only one game, but several were on simultaneously, showing from a multitude of large-screen TVs placed all around the space. For each goal scored, crescendos of roaring went up in waves. 

And, of course, add to all this a restaurant serving everything from traditional and boneless wings with signature sauces and seasonings to salads, burgers, sandwiches, wraps, buffalitos, combos and ribs, tenders, popcorn shrimp, flatbread and more.

I started with a personal favorite, the strawberry daiquiri, and ordered Fried Pickles for an appetizer. Be sure to get at least one drink and be inadvertently complimented and momentarily more rejuvenated when carded, a procedure that seems to be a requirement [certain non-alcoholic drinks have free refills].  The pickles were turned into cornmeal breaded chips, fried into salty light morsels and served with luxurious southwestern ranch dressing.   

As I looked around the room, servers dressed in yellow and black outfits were upbeat, attentive and often conversing with patrons, and like the rest of them, my server for the evening, Markus Musial, exemplified all these characteristics. 

When I commented on how busy and packed the place was, Musial added, "I'm booked for many tables all the time," not a transparent detail given how continuous and smooth his service was. 

Musial explained that Wing Tuesdays—50 cents per traditional wing, a special established in 1982—contributed to the crowds that night. We had brief chats that occurred each time I placed another order, and when he regularly stopped by to see if I was enjoying my meal.  

I had to live up to my nickname of Ms. Coupon and make good use of the current hybridized promotion between Red Baron and Buffalo Wild Wings that offers six free wings with the purchase of a Red Baron pizza [check that the box you're purchasing has the coupon which you will need to cut out] and a set of 12 wings at the restaurant before June 30. Between the coupon and Wing Tuesdays, the proportions of food and value were unbeatable.  

As a side note, Boneless Thursdays permits 60 cents per boneless wing.

Creativity is encouraged at Buffalo Wild Wings, through the customizing opportunities provided of traditional versus boneless, and then 14 signature sauces spread on a spectrum from mild to "blazin'," as well as four dry seasonings to douse the wings in. Each batch of wings arrives with a sticker placed on the paper wrap indicating the flavor.

I selected a combination of boneless [more meat to gnaw on, less messy and more convenient] and traditional wings, with several sauces, namely parmesan garlic [roasted garlic, parmesan sauce, Italian herbs], spicy garlic, honey bbq [sweet and smoky] and mango habanero [sweet, spicy, tingling the tongue]. 

A mixture of celery and carrots with bleu cheese or ranch dressing came on the side.

Musial explained that the night before I was there, a few patrons attempted the Blazin' Challenge—eating 12 wings prepared with signature Blazin' sauce under six minutes without water or napkins. 

The prize is a t-shirt that gives bragging rights for winning the challenge. 

"Everyone comes out, the entire wait staff, cheering on the participants," Musial said. "Lots of fun. One of the guys won in two minutes, 20 seconds." 

I decided to save an intrepid taste of the Blazin' sauce for next time.

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Buffalo Wild Wings has acquired numerous awards throughout the country for best wings, best sports bar, best place to meet people, best new restaurant and best tv commercial, to name a few, according to the website. It is considered one of the top 10 fastest-growing restaurant chains.

Started in 1981 under the name of Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, founders Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery were craving their hometown's New York-style buffalo chicken wings, but could not find any in Kent, Ohio, where they had moved. Since then, the website said, the mission has been to wow people every day through an emphasis on service, food, fun and value in a high-energy, easygoing, edgy sports bar restaurant.

To complete my meal, I sampled Grilled Chicken Buffalitos, consisting of two soft flour tortillas with grilled chicken, lettuce, pico de gallo, a blend of cheeses and sour cream with a desert heat seasoning.  The soft elastic shell of the tortillas enclosed a pocket of southwestern reminiscences, and the chicken was juicy, all accompanied by French fries.

During one of our conversations, Musial mentioned the Playmaker, a Buzztime Trivia system, that customers can engage in with friends, aside from watching the games on screen.

"Never a dull moment here," he said with a grin and a thumbs-up.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?