The Sports & Franchise Mix

Sporting events do something to us. They turn us weird and wild-eyed in the moment, picking us up on sudden surges of partisanship and then dropping us off someplace higher or lower than where we started. Our teams become extensions of ourselves—we say “we won” and “we failed.” And our co-tribemates become our cohabitants in our sort-of-chosen communities—we sing together, we cheer together and we mourn together. These games are happening in stadiums and arenas and domes, but where these moments happen for most of us is in bustling sports bars and restaurants.

For many sports fans, settling down on a bar stool for a couple of beers and a basket of tangy wings is just as much of a ritual as Monday Night Football itself. Consider the Super Bowl—it’s become the country’s second-largest food consumption day, trailing only Thanksgiving. Each year, nearly 13 million people will head out to watch the big game at their local sports bar. We’ll consume 4,000 tons of guacamole, 14,500 tons of chips and 4,000 tons of popcorn. We’ll eat 1.23 billion chicken wings—making 615 million chickens very unhappy—and drink 325 million gallons of beer. The numbers are exorbitant, and sports-themed franchises like Buffalo Wings & Rings wouldn’t have it any other way.

For franchise owners like Victor Dakessian, who operates a Buffalo Wings & Rings location in Crystal Lake, Ill., sporting events are the life-blood of his business. From August through October of last year—a peak time for football in the Chicagoland area—Dakessian’s location saw a 77 percent jump in sales.

“There’s no doubt about it—we always welcome sport seasons at our restaurant,” Dakessian said. “The allure of our fan-friendly food and high-quality entertainment system gets crowds of people in the door without us even having to advertise. People want a fun environment to watch the game, and we’re a brand notorious for delivering on that promise.”

Restaurants like Hooters, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s and Quaker Steak & Lube have all found similar success—and they’re all sports bar franchises. So why do sports and casual-dining seem to complement each other so well? Good crowds, good food, good beer and good entertainment are all part of the equation.

“It’s all about culture—it’s about providing an environment where likeminded people can congregate in a world-class atmosphere. Offer up the best food and the best beer, and the crowds will come for the comradery,” said Philip Schram, Chief Development Officer for Buffalo Wings & Rings.

For restaurants like Buffalo Wings & Rings, achieving the ultimate casual dining experience for sports fans is all about nailing down the right combination of key elements. For starters, a bar needs plenty of TVs that broadcast all of the day’s best games in crisp, clean colors. The right location matters, too—simply put, some areas are better than others for sports bars, and posting up in a college town can help target the appropriate audience. And, finally, the star players of any game-day should always be on tap—food and beer. People probably aren’t coming to sports bars to enjoy foie gras and champagne, so classics like burgers, wings and nachos—and plenty of cold beer—will always be in high demand.

But according to Schram, a truly unique sports bar experience—one that’ll keep customers coming back week after week—is more than just the sum of its parts. It’s about going the extra mile to elevate every aspect of an incredibly common concept.

Since its inception, Buffalo Wings & Rings has been built upon the proposition that their customers should be treated to fresh—never frozen—wings. But that’s just the beginning—the franchise also features a full bar with dozens of craft-beer options that celebrate local and national brewing excellence. In the end, Schram believes that this added level of care goes a long way, and it’s helping to further bolster the age-old partnership of sports and franchises.

“Most of our competition has all the sports—and that’s great, but the food is subpar. That’s the most important part. Today, people want better food. They aren’t going to a restaurant to eat generic-tasting food—they want gourmet, and that’s what makes us unique,” Schram said. “For us, it’s a culture. We have a world-class atmosphere for die-hard sports fans, but they can also enjoy elevated food. It’s been one of the main reasons for our continued growth, and it’s helping to raise the bar for a concept that everyone knows and loves.”