Buffalo Wild Wings touts takeout, signs 'chipper' deal with Frito-Lay

Nation's Restaurant News, Oct 22, 2001 by Gregg Cebrzynski

MINNEAPOLIS -- Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar broke its first major ad campaign promoting takeout and announced it would begin distributing branded potato chips in grocery stores and other retail outlets on Dec. 3.

The ad campaign is designed to take advantage of a growing trend among consumers to take food home rather than eat it in a restaurant, and the nationwide distribution of the branded potato chips will help expand the 150-unit chain's brand identity, according to vice president of marketing Kathy Alberga.

Takeout now accounts for 22 percent of Buffalo Wild Wings' systemwide sales, which are expected to reach $230 million this year.

"The trend is there nationally, and we've always had a pretty good takeout percentage," she said. "The growing trend is the need to have party food available that tastes good and travels well. There's such an opportunity to expand."

Takeout containers have been redesigned to keep food fresh and hot, and each restaurant has an order-placement station designated specifically for takeout. In addition, Buffalo Wild Wings rolled out a new 50-count wing bucket, which costs $18.49 and is part of the chain's plans to increase its catering of business lunches and parties, Alberga said.

The campaign promoting takeout was created by Periscope Marketing Communications of Minneapolis and consists of TV and radio spots as well as in-store material. The campaign coincides with professional and college football season, a popular time for takeout, especially for Saturday afternoon and Monday night games, Alberga said.

"It's a campaign that can work for us three or four times a year," she said.

The first flight will run through the first week of November. Ads will run again during college basketball's "March Madness" games and in the spring and summer to promote takeout for graduation parties and picnics

Because Buffalo Wild Wings' ad budget is a relatively low $3 million, much of its marketing efforts are done in-store, promoting takeout with posters, buttons, counter cards and table tents. One poster shows a wary chicken strapped into a car seat. "Get it to go," reads the copy. "Burgers. Salads. And yes, even our wings."

"Because we don't have millions of dollars for advertising, we can best leverage who we are at the store level," Alberga said.

The chain doesn't believe that its focus on takeout will harm dine-in business, she said. Same-store sales rose 11 percent during the first week of October, and "I really think that's attributable to the value we can offer," Alberga said.

However, she said that during the first quarter of 2002 the chain would conduct a "fully integrated research project," which will seek to determine whether takeout is cannibalizing dine-in meals. The December rollout of the chain's "Wild Wings and Ranch" potato chips results from a deal Buffalo Wild Wings made with Frito-Lay, which is marketing the chips as an extension of its "flavors rush" line, Alberga said.

More than 65 million bags of chips in 1-ounce, 2.5-ounce and 11-ounce bags will be for sale at mass merchandisers, grocery stores and convenience stores.

"We're getting into markets even where we don't have brand awareness now, but which will be in development in the future," she said.