Spectacular Support Leads BW&R Franchisee to Multiply with the Brand

Todd Fetter currently has one Buffalo Wings & Rings location up and running in Piqua, Ohio. He’s in the process of purchasing an existing location in Columbus. Along with a business partner, he also has a new Buffalo Wings & Rings under construction in Cincinnati. And, finally, he’s close to closing on a land purchase for a new location in Aberdeen, S.D.

Put simply, Fetter believes in the BW&R brand and is willing to put his money where his mouth is.

After selling out of his automotive e-coating business, Fetter was on the hunt for a new adventure.

“My boys and I all love sports and wings,” he said. “A wing place seemed like the right thing for us, but it took me a while to find the right fit. When I found Buffalo Wings & Rings, I knew it was the right choice.”

Fetter said it was the passion of the brand’s ownership team that convinced him.

“After I met with the ownership group, I started to feel their passion for what they were doing,” he said. “I’d heard horror stories from franchise people about getting no support from corporate. That is absolutely not the case with these guys. They talked the talk and I had to jump in to see if they walked the walk. And they do. I wouldn’t be doing more if I didn’t have the support from the people at corporate.”

It doesn’t hurt that the brand works hard to make owning multiple locations easy.

“The hardest thing is probably owning one restaurant,” said Nader Masadeh, president and CEO of Buffalo Wings & Rings. “It becomes easier as you grow. When you have two stores, you have the flexibility of interchanging employees and leveraging some services you might get locally, such as payroll and accounting. You have the flexibility to create an office staff of managers. It becomes more of a company you’re overseeing as opposed to just running a restaurant.”

That aspect greatly appealed to Fetter.

“I’m not a micro-manager,” Fetter said. “I like to put people in place who can do the things they’re best at instead of me trying to do everything. I don’t have to be in the store every day. I empower people to do their jobs and solve problems.”

And, as Masadeh pointed out, once you have the experience of opening one restaurant, opening others becomes much simpler, especially as it pertains to obtaining the necessary finances.

“You have an experience now which banks look for,” Masadeh said. “You’re a proven system and you’ve proven yourself to the banks.”

Speaking of financials, Fetter said he’s seeing sales this year that are 8 to 12 percent higher than his first two years in business, as customer demand for Buffalo Wings & Rings continues to heat up.

As for further expansion, Fetter is forecasting a bright future.

“Our growth isn’t done at four restaurants,” he said. “We’re going to continue on.”