Buffalo Wild Wings GOFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Buffalo Wild Wings GO franchise requires a total initial investment of $564K – $1.1M, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $564K – $1.1M
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 140
- 43rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 90 to 4 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $564K – $1.1M including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Item 19 discloses "Weekly Average Unit Volume" rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 24/100.
- System growing at 1000.0% CAGR over 3 years with 140 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Buffalo Wild Wings International, Inc.
- Parent company
- Inspire Brands, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Paul Brown
- Incorporated in
- OH
- HQ
- Three Glenlake Pkwy NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30328
- Auditor
- KPMG LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.3B
- vs $2.3B prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Buffalo Wild Wings GO franchisees operate delivery-only or dark kitchen locations (no dine-in), fulfilling orders through third-party apps and direct channels. Day-to-day involves food prep, order fulfillment, driver coordination, and managing 3P platform relationships (DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub). Success depends heavily on local delivery demand and commission costs.
- CEO
- Paul Brown
- Headquarters
- GA
- Founded
- 1990
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 23
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 18 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30K | $45K | |
| Site Approval Fees | $1K | $54K | |
| Administrative Fee and Reimbursement of Opening Team Expenses | $0 | $16K | |
| Architecture Fees | $15K | $35K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $220K | $410K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment and Other Fixed Assets | $140K | $185K | |
| Computer System, POS System and Kitchen Display Unit | $14K | $18K | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $3K | $6K | |
| Signage and Graphics | $15K | $25K | |
| Training Expenses | $15K | $25K | |
| Initial Inventory | $18K | $22K | |
| Insurance | $14K | $48K | |
| Rent | $4K | $8K | |
| Lease and Utility Security Deposits | $10K | $20K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $15K | $15K | |
| Professional Fees | $20K | $70K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $30K | $50K | |
| Development Fee (Area Development Agreement) | $75K | $150K | |
| Total initial investment | $639K | $1.2M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $564K – $1.1M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $45K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $3K |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $18K – $22K |
| Total fee load | 9.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
This brand's FDD disclosed "Weekly Average Unit Volume" in Item 19 rather than annual gross sales. This metric cannot be directly compared across brands, so we omit it from rankings.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Buffalo Wild Wings GO Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 140
- Opened
- 60
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.7%
- Company-owned
- 50
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 64%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 5.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +190.3%
- Net unit change last year
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 11
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Ceased ops
- 0.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 26 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- $2.3M
- Median loan
- $870K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Buffalo Wild Wings GO's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 2 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Rapidly scaling GO concept with pending litigation, non-disclosed profitability, and suspicious unit economics raises significant viability concerns for franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
One pending class action (Halim v. Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. and Inspire Brands, Inc.) alleging deceptive advertising regarding boneless wings. One concluded class action (Wheeldon v. Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.) settled for $47,500 regarding deceptive delivery fee promises.
Largest disclosed settlement: $47,500
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · KPMG LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 24 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Unit Volume) disclosed despite $18,821 avg revenue being suspiciously low for QSR/sports bar concept
- 02MINORAggressive unit growth (190.3% YoY) on only 140 units suggests rapid expansion without proven profitability model
- 03MINORThree separate class action lawsuits (one pending) indicate systemic marketing/operational compliance issues
- 04MED6% royalty on undisclosed net income creates opacity; franchisees cannot validate ROI against $564K-$1M investment
- 05MINORLow franchise fee ($30K) paired with high unit growth is classic predatory expansion model
- 06MINORGO format (ghost kitchen/delivery-only) is unproven model with thin margins vs. traditional B-Dubs
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 6 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Georgia |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
One pending class action (Halim v. Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. and Inspire Brands, Inc.) alleging deceptive advertising regarding boneless wings. One concluded class action (Wheeldon v. Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc.) settled for $47,500 regarding deceptive delivery fee promises.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 168 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- joint
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Aloha
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Aloha
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
117 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Buffalo Wild Wings GO · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Buffalo Wild Wings GO franchise?
The total investment to open a Buffalo Wild Wings GO franchise ranges from $564K – $1.1M, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Buffalo Wild Wings GO franchise owners earn?
Buffalo Wild Wings GO does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Buffalo Wild Wings GO's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Buffalo Wild Wings GO (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Buffalo Wild Wings GO franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Buffalo Wild Wings GO has 140 total units in the United States, including 90 franchised units and 50 company-owned units. 60 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Buffalo Wild Wings GO a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Buffalo Wild Wings GO as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 24 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.