Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bar
Bottom line
- Total investment $2.5M – $4.9M including a $25K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $3.6M/year (median $3.4M).
- Rated STRONG with a risk score of 47/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 53 loans (below the industry average).
- Established system with 1,178 units across 35 years of franchising — strong brand recognition and operational playbook.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bar unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
13%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bar units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
27.2%
3.33× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
3.01×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$12.5M
on $25.0M purchase
Total debt
$12.5M
SBA $5.0M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Franchisees operate full-service sports bars serving wings, burgers, and appetizers with heavy emphasis on televised sports viewing. Day-to-day operations include managing 50–150+ staff, handling inventory and food costs, coordinating with corporate on marketing/promotions, managing delivery/takeout logistics, and maintaining compliance with franchise system standards.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Buffalo Wild Wings presents moderate-to-cautious risk: pending litigation over product authenticity, undisclosed franchisee profitability, stagnant unit growth, and history of fee-related litigation weaken an otherwise established brand.
Score breakdown · what drove the 47 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHPending litigation (Halim) over core product marketing ('boneless wings') creates brand/legal exposure and potential operational/menu changes
- 02MINORNo Item 19 (net income) disclosure prevents validation of 3.57M avg revenue translating to actual franchisee profitability
- 03MINORMinimal unit growth (2.0% YoY) on 1,178 units suggests market saturation and weak franchisee demand despite 20-year terms
- 04MINORMultiple concluded class actions (Wheeldon, Pittman) indicate history of customer/franchisee disputes over fees and transparency
- 05MINORHigh investment range ($2.46M–$4.9M) requires strong ROI proof, but lack of income data makes breakeven/payback period unverifiable
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
100 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Buffalo Wild Wings Sports Bar · FDD (2026) PDF