WINNING Case Competition

In Journalism 345, teams were assigned to research, analyze, track, and rebrand Buffalo Wild Wings. We composed a situational analysis, PR plan, hosted a press conference, created advertisements, and rebranded the company. At the end of the semester, each team stood in front of 100 plus students, faculty, and alumni members to present their strategy.

And… we won! Here’s the Situational Analysis I crafted to get a hint of Buffalo Wild Wings and their current operating systems.

Buffalo Wild Wings Situation Analysis History of the Brand: Buffalo Wild Wings, originally known as Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck, was founded in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio. Since its inception Buffalo Wild Wings, commonly nicknamed B-Dubs, has developed a philosophy that revolves around its signature tagline: “Wings, Beer, Sports”. Stay true to their brand they have – B-Dubs boasts 21 signature wing sauces and pours more draft beer than any other company in the U.S., and perhaps more than any other chain in the world, according to the company’s VP of Food & Beverage Andy Dismore.

With over 1,250 restaurants around the world in 2017, it is hard to believe that B-Dubs was founded by two men who, after judging an amateur figure skating competition, were looking for a local restaurant that served the New York-style wings they craved. These founders, Jim Disbrow, Bernard Spencer and Scott Lowery, wanted to create a fast, casual-style location to cater to people dining in or taking out. They chose to open near Ohio State University because there was a large student population in this area of Ohio. In 1991, they began a franchising program which has led to the expansion of locations throughout North America, the Philippines, and the UAE. The company still owns and operates about 515 of the restaurants, while the rest are operated by franchisees.

Five years after evoking their franchising program, new management and staff were put into Buffalo Wild Wing’s corporate office/headquarters, and they began to tackle the more challenging task of broadening the chain’s appeal. In 1996, Sally Smith was named CEO and in 1998, removed “Weck” from the brand’s name, and added “Sports Bar and Grill”. She redesigned the restaurant’s image and shifted its reputation away a college bar toward a sports bar and grill. Thus, B-Dubs began to attract a wider audience and evoked a stronger appeal in the circuit of casual dining locations.

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In 2003, Buffalo Wild Wings completed an initial public offering and became a publicly-held company. On November 21, 2003, their stock opened at 10.90 and closed at 11.48. Gradually, their primarily “wing” focused menu expanded to feature other items, including chicken tenders, flatbreads, hamburgers, sandwiches, wraps, tacos, appetizers and salads. As options expanded in dining, their public value increased, according to the historic stock lookup on the Buffalo Wild Wings website.

For example, in just one year from going public at 10.90 in 2003, Buffalo Wild Wings opened stock in November 2004 at 16.63 and closed at 16.48. Its increase in stock points was representative of their growing popularity, healthy financial situation and successful franchise business. In 2006, the company launched their first national advertising campaign on ESPN, CBS Sports and WestwoodOne. The advertisement particularly targeted on the chain’s niche audience by promoting their locations as the perfect gathering spots for sports fans. Their efforts to improve were successful- by November 2006, the stock opened at 25.97 and closed at 25.46.

Today, Buffalo Wild Wings is the winner of dozens of “Best Wings” and “Best Sports Bar” awards. On October 3,2017, Buffalo Wild Wings opened at 105.85 and closed at 104.95 on the stock market. The company has outperformed casual dining peers over the past ten years. The chain now offers loyalty programs, tablet-based ordering service, and both online and mobile ordering. With a new emphasis on creating a “stadium-like atmosphere that brings together the essentials of a social and interactive gathering place for true sports fans,” B-Dubs has plans to continue their success using technology and social marketing strategies. Industry Trends: Since 2003, sales in the fast-food and casual dining industries have declined, including at Buffalo Wild Wings. But the chain is not alone, as other fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s and Chipotle have experienced this downfall as well. In order to compensate for their low sales, many casual-dining locations are raising their prices. In fact, in July of 2015, prices for food away from home, or food one must “go out for” rose 2.79 percent from same month last year.

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One of the many explanations for the decline in fast-food service is that there is a current emphasis on foods with health value. As health care costs rise in America, health-conscious shopping has become more popular. In 2015, 27 percent of Americans asked their doctor or pharmacist about less expensive solutions, or ways to eat healthier, as an alternative to pricey prescriptions. This proactive approach to tackling health care has affected the way Americans eat, and their choices at mealtime.

Additionally, declining costs at grocery stores could contribute to a smaller customer base at Buffalo Wild Wings. The price of food at grocery stores has been on the decline since 2015, based on the Consumer Price Index for food at home. In fact, in July 2015, the cost of food at home declined 1.55 percent since July 2014. Cooking and eating at home has become more affordable for the average American.

For these reasons, Buffalo Wild Wings chose to renovate their current locations to attract consumers by using more than just food. In 2014 it introduced “Stadia”, which “mimics the environment sports fans would experience at an actual stadium, complete with enhanced audio-visual systems and strategically arranged seating”. As discussed in lecture, a good way to connect with consumers at a young age is to build brand loyalty. Ian Mawson, a managing partner agrees with and acted upon this strategy in introducing Stadia.

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He explained, “If we can get young people to come in and watch the game, it’s a good thing,” Mawson said. “If they like us while they’re young, they’ll like us when they’re older”. Buffalo Wild Wings has implemented the use of technological devices for entertainment and service to restore its dwindling customer base with hopes of attracting loyal customers. Although restaurants with Stadia have been said to have higher sales than locations without Stadia, this remodeling has had costly effects on Buffalo Wild Wing’s share price.

Another industry trend is the current price increase of chicken wings. Due to market saturation of wing-based restaurants, wings have reached peak prices rising to $2.09 a pound in August 2017 from $1.50 a year earlier. As a brand that specializes in chicken wings, Buffalo Wild Wings faces pressure to maintain low prices and customer satisfaction, regardless of the price surge. Wings make up a significant portion of their sales – both the traditional and boneless variety brought in 21 percent of total sales last quarter. (footnote 22) Given the challenges of a rise in health-conscious eating, remodeling and wing price surges, BWLD’s share price has decreased. By focusing on Stadia and enhancing customer experiences technologically within locations, Buffalo Wild Wings could boost sales in its current state of decline. Competitive Analysis: Buffalo Wild Wings has several “wing-based” and “casual dining” competitors in the fast-food industry, but one wing-based and three casual dining-based brands stand out as rivals. These restaurants relate in their appeal to customers who describe themselves as “casual diners”, and all offer franchise opportunities. In comparison with Buffalo Wild Wing’s founding in 1982 and sales of 2016, which totaled 2 billion dollars, none of the competitors (according to public knowledge) have an annual revenue larger than Buffalo Wild Wing’s of last year.

Applebees, a privately-owned company, was founded in 1980. When compared to Buffalo Wild Wings, their daily total of online visitors is 27.9 thousand, whereas Buffalo Wild Wings totals 59.8 thousand visitors daily. Applebee’s boasts the highest number of locations in comparison to all competitors; as they have an estimated 2,016 storefronts. Although privately-owned, their estimated annual revenue for 2016 was 1.5 billion dollars.

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Hooters, a privately-owned company, was founded in 1983. In comparison to Buffalo Wild Wing’s niche market, Hooters is considered the most “niche” restaurant of the competitors ( Applebee’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, TGI Fridays, Wingstop) as they are said to target a specific gender of the population; males. In 2015 it was said that Hooters had “copied” Buffalo Wild Wings by offering a limited-time menu during the NCAA tournament. Although privately owned, it is estimated that their annual revenue for 2016 was 675 million dollars.

Wingstop, a public company, was founded in 1994. As the other “wing-based” competitor, there has been varied debate as to who provides the “best wings”. There is little competition in online Twitter fans, however, as Wingstop boasts 204 thousand followers in comparison with Buffalo Wild Wing’s meager 10.7 thousand followers. Buffalo Wild Wings’ stock closed on October 4th, 2017 at 99.90 whereas Wingstop’s stock closed at 33.24.

It has been publicly stated that their annual revenue for 2018 was 24.8 million. TGI Fridays, a privately owned company, was founded in 1965. Credited with founding restaurant traditions (they were the first to sing birthday songs to customers), TGI Fridays is known to be a competitor of Buffalo Wild Wings in the casual-dining sphere. Although privately owned, it is estimated that their annual revenue for 2016 was 16.5 million dollars. COMPANY: PRIVATE OR PUBLIC ANNUAL SALES 2016 STOCK as of 10/4/17 FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY: Y/N TARGETED AUDIENCE TOTAL LOCATIONS Buffalo Wild Wings

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PUBLIC $2 billion 99.90 Yes Sport Enthusiasts, 16-25, Middle/Upper Class 1,237 TGI Fridays

PRIVATE $16.5 million pre-tax ( private info, estimates based on sources) Sold to Sentinel Capital Partners, $800m Yes Middle/Upper Class people from Urban Area 992 Wingstop

PUBLIC $24.8 million 33.24 Yes Working Adults/ Students, Price-Savvy 1,000 Hooters

PRIVATE $675 million ( private info, estimates based on resources) Sold to Chanticleer, more than $200m Yes Youth/ Adult males, Upper/ Middle class More than 460 Applebees

PRIVATE $1.5 billion (private info, estimates based on resources) Sold to DineEquity, $2.1 billion Yes Middle class, All Ages and Genders 2,016 (see citations at bottom of whole analysis)

Consumer Analysis: The Buffalo Wild Wings’ demographic results that were derived from Simmons OneView data of 2015 were unsurprising. This data shows that males are 9 percent more likely than the rest of the population to be a customer at Buffalo Wild Wings, and proves that females are 8 percent less likely to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. In January of 2017, 56 percent of customers in a thirty day span were male, and 71 percent of all customers were white.

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Buffalo Wild Wings has tried to remedy its diversity issues by installing Stadia (which serves as a more welcoming environment for families and females). But its male-appeal may be uncontrollable – as the sports dominated focus of Buffalo Wild Wings, as well as its restaurant colors do not appeal to most women or the elderly (just 9 percent of visitors in a 30 day span were 55 to 64 years of age) .

People who visit Buffalo Wild Wings least frequently are Asian, women under the age of 18, executives of Fortune 500 companies, Jewish, and older than 65 years of age. Those who are presently married are 33 percent less likely to eat at a Buffalo Wild Wings location five times in 30 days. One the other hand, people who visit Buffalo Wild Wings at least 5 times a month, or most frequently, are 67 percent more likely to come from a Hispanic household, 70 percent more likely to be single and 69 percent more likely to be of 18 to 34 years of age.

In regard to Buffalo Wild Wing’s biggest fans, statistics prove what many at UW-Madison already know. Customers who eat at Buffalo Wild Wings 5 times in a month’s span are 74 percent more likely to be students over being employed or partially employed. Likewise, a further look at Simmons OneView’s data shows that people who are single or divorced are also 15 percent more likely than others to visit Buffalo Wild Wings most frequently. This makes sense as Buffalo Wild Wings’ most frequent customers possess student-like characteristics ( single, white men on the younger side of 18-34) and are more price-conscious than health-conscious. The buzzing Buffalo Wild Wings on University of Wisconsin Madison’s campus is a clear indicator of this “most dedicated customer” statistic.

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The average Buffalo Wild Wings customer prefers “watching sports” over “shopping”, “crafts” or “fashion”. What is interesting, however, is that the customer may not love to play sports. Those who eat at Buffalo Wild Wings are 39 percent less likely to exercise regularly. People who have not eaten at Buffalo Wild Wings in the past 30 days are 45 percent more “calorie conscious” and 37 percent more likely to consider their diet to be “very healthy”. Buffalo Wild Wings fans can be defined by their unhealthy eating habits; the more frequently they visit, the less likely they are to care for their health.

The Simmons OneView insights show that the primary consumer of Buffalo Wild Wings is a young, 34 year old white male generating an average income of $100,000 annually. He most likely is white, college educated, a sports fan and a homeowner (64 percent of 1,540 respondents in 2016 owned a home).

Because 50 percent of Buffalo Wild Wings visitors over a 30 day span are married and have children, the primary consumer may bring his family to eat with him as well. His family, or wife, is the secondary consumer. She is 44 percent likely to visit Buffalo Wild Wings within a month span, and 33 percent more likely to have graduated from college or graduate school. There is an 8 percent chance that she earns less than $20,000 annually. Her experience with higher education most likely affects her income in a positive manner.

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As the secondary consumer, she should watch out for her children’s health- especially if she is the mother of a male college student. As his love for Buffalo Wild Wings grows, he may become more concerned about what’s on the TV screen than the nutrients (or lack thereof) on his dinner plate. Luckily for mom, as he ages so will his obsession with Buffalo Wild Wings, as most statistics dictate. Brand Analysis: Buffalo Wild Wings is an owner, operator and franchisor of casual dining restaurants. Half of the company is traded on the stock market and owned by publish shareholders; the other half is owned by franchisee Currently, the brand owns over 1,200 individual restaurants, with a majority in the United States. The franchise prioritizes fulfilling its three primary brand attributes: “WINGS, BEER, SPORTS” as its main differentiating traits within the casual dining category. The brand’s tagline is clear and concise, enabling them to be perceived as both transparent and focused in satisfying their consumer needs. “WINGS, BEER, SPORTS” is exemplified as the foundation to Buffalo Wild Wings’ core brand identity and dictates majority of its prospective branding initiatives. WINGS: Known for its hand spun chicken wings, the brand praises its 21 signature sauces and seasonings, which are often customizable for its customers. Several marketing techniques have been strategized toward consumer interest in customizable and different wings flavor. Buffalo Wild Wings sells approximately 27 million traditional and boneless wings each week. While the brand does provide customers with different entree options, it’s evident consumers strongly associate the brand for its traditional and boneless wings.

BEER: Aside from its sales-driving initiatives surrounding wings, Buffalo Wild Wings has begun refocusing its efforts on the second word in its slogan. The brand is currently known to be the United States largest pourer of draft beer in the United States. While the brand has considered brewing its own, Buffalo Wild Wings continues to partner with different breweries, introduce and test limited time offered craft beer. Current marketing efforts aim to make beer one of the brand’s strongest differentiators. SPORTS: In addition to focusing on attractive food and beverage promotions, the brand’s efforts to differentiate itself in the category rely heavily in sports. Despite some varying brand motives, sports continue to be the brand’s dominating and coherent differentiating factor in the casual dining category. Buffalo Wild Wings continuously aims to deliver social and entertaining sports-centric aspects to the dining experience. It strives to present its in house atmosphere as a casual and less expensive alternative to sports stadium.

Currently, the brand’s unique sports-centric identity is supported via marketing efforts in socializing experiences and interactive technology. The full bar and open layout enables consumers to feel fully immersed in the game watching, peer interaction and being apart of the energetic atmosphere, STADIA. With mobile phone ordering, loyalty programs, table / server hand-held tablets and partnerships with partnerships with network providers, Buffalo Wild Wings aims to be perceived as a smart and technologically-savvy brand that can effectively serves and entertain its consumers, , .

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Buffalo Wild Wings understands its strong brand differentiation with sports may make it a less desirable restaurant for some consumers in the casual dining category; however, the brand takes significant pride in billing itself has the ultimate experience for sports fans. Company executives believe that investing much of the brands differentiating attributes to this “experience” will enable Buffalo Wild Wings to serve as a catalyst for sports fandom.

Media Usage Analysis: Competition is high not only on and off the court, but also inside and outside of the media – Buffalo Wild Wings is no exception. Buffalo Wild Wings, a fast-casual restaurant, known for its high energy environment centered around sports retains that theme throughout their advertisements and media platforms. They purposely center their marketing campaigns around typical behaviors and lifestyles of their guests. Contrarily, their media strategy is focused on the idea of continuity while still focusing on their busiest times. Buffalo Wild Wings’ primary advertising medium is through national television, while they also advertise heavily on local radio and through digital. Buffalo Wild Wing’s competitors: Applebee’s, T.G.I. Fridays, Hooter and WingStop each have their unique marketing and advertising strategies. T.G.I. Fridays recently revamped their marketing and advertising strategy to have a more hand-crafted and customizable focus.

In an attempt to prevent other competitors from copying their marketing strategies, Applebee’s launched their wood-fired grill revamp this year, spending $75 million on that alone. Hooters’ marketing strategy has been to focus on the full package that the iconic Hooters girls have to offer, while also dabbling digitally in NCAA March Madness fantasy football, and a partnership with ESPN. The ease of online ordering and takeout is what thematically drives WingStop’s marketing and advertising. Buffalo Wild Wings’ advertising expenditures topped out at $66 million in 2016 – up 10.2 percent from 2015, which amounts to 3.6 percent of their total revenue. Buffalo Wild Wings’ major competitors: Applebee’s (DineEquity), Hooters, Wing Stop and T.G.I. Fridays spent either largely less or largely more on media. Applebee’s spent $165 million on media in 2016; Hooters spent under $10 million in 2013; WingStop spent $7 million in 2016 on media advertising; TG.I. Fridays spent $52.7 million in 2013 on media advertising.,,,

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Buffalo Wild Wings certainly doesn’t wing it with its sponsorships or television commercial placements. It is greatly known for placing ads when games go into overtime during March Madness. Buffalo Wild Wings has created a partnership with the NCAA to further their growing relationship with college athletics, which has allowed it to be named the Official Hangout of 12 NCAA schools, while partnering with 11 others. Buffalo Wild Wings has had its presence widely seen in college football as well. It was the title sponsor of the Cactus Bowl in Arizona (previously named the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl from 2012-2013). Most recently, it has been the title sponsor of the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. To celebrate both the New Year (day of the bowl) as well as its sponsorship, Buffalo Wild Wings launched a digital and Snapchat campaign entitled, “Wing in the New Year,” which featured Q&A sessions on Twitter and specialized Snapchat filters.

To further accommodate their guest experience, Buffalo Wild Wings launched their “Hit the Button” campaign, which provides the consumer with a ‘personal attendant’ of sorts that assists in any of the consumer’s game watching experiences while indulging in their wings.Buffalo Wild Wings even added a familiar voice to their 30 second television ads in 2017 – the voice of John Goodman from Monsters Inc., The Emperor’s New Groove and Cheers.

Buffalo Wild Wings’ consumers are uniquely connected to smartphones, college sports and social media. According to Simmons, 98 percent of Buffalo Wild Wings consumers use a smartphone regularly, which allows those consumers to reach Buffalo Wild Wings digital and social media campaigns. Buffalo Wild Wings’ strong connection to college basketball is also portrayed in the television watching habits of their consumers as 22 percent of them regularly watch college basketball, according to Simmons. The database further illustrated that 30 percent of Buffalo Wild Wings’ customers regularly watch college football, which is another area that Buffalo Wild Wings is heavily involved in. The percentage of Buffalo Wild Wings consumers that also heavily consume NFL games is even more significant at 51 percent. Demographically, 52 percent of Buffalo Wild Wings consumers are male, while the remaining 48 percent of consumers is female, according to Simmons.

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The age demographic of Buffalo Wild Wings consumers is most significant and widely spread from ages 21-54 as demonstrated through Simmons. Simmons depicted 90 percent of Buffalo Wild Wings consumers as consumers of social media as well, which gives great cause to digital and Snapchat campaigns the company runs. Furthermore, 90 percent of Buffalo Wild Wings consumers have access to a personal computer at their home, which means that they are able interact with the brand and their campaigns, according to Simmons.

Buffalo Wild Wing’s competitors share a similar consumer profile that engages in social media, has a smartphone, follows college sports as well as the NFL. Simmons illustrated that those who use social media are: 88.6 percent of WingStop consumers; 87.2 percent of T.G.I. Fridays consumers, 89.6 perfect of Hooters consumers, and 80.5 percent of Applebee’s consumers. We dissected the viewing trends of NCAA basketball among competitors and found that 16.7 percent of WingStop consumers also watch NCAA basketball, 20.4 percent of T.G.I. Friday’s consumers do, 21.7 percent of Hooters consumers do and 17.7 percent of Applebee’s consumers watch NCAA basketball, according to Simmons. The numbers rise slightly for consumption of college football among competitors: WingStop at 16.7 percent, T.G.I. Fridays at 23.6 percent, Hooters at 21.7 percent and Applebee’s at 17.7 percent. In line with the trends of Buffalo Wild Wings, the statistics rose greatly for these competitors’ consumers who also engage in NFL television watching: WingStop rings in at 40 percent, T.G.I. Fridays at 43.3 percent, Hooters at 48.6 percent and Applebee’s at 41.9 percent.

Observing the demographic breakdown of competitors is essential to the understanding of how to angle our brand. Demographically, WingStop consumers are primarily 51 percent male and 59 percent female. T.G.I. Fridays leads a bit by female consumers with 54.2 percent female consumers and 45.8 percent male consumers, according to Simmons. Hooters is more male heavy – topping out at 60 percent male consumers and 40 percent female consumers, which is quite comparable to the demographic statistics of Buffalo Wild Wings. Opposite of Hooters, Applebee’s customers are made up primarily of 44 percent male and 56 percent female. After analyzing the age trends from competitors, we found that WingStop appeals to 25-39 year olds, T.G.I. Fridays appeals to 25-54 year olds, Hooters also appeals to 25-54 year olds and Applebee’s consumers are typically 22-35, according to Simmons. Overall, Buffalo Wild Wings’ competitor demographics are largely in line with those of Buffalo Wild Wings’ consumers as well.

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Category Creative Analysis: Founded in 1982, the famous American chain restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings has become one of the most popular casual dinings and sports bars for people to hang out and for sports fans to watch games. Founded with the name Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck 1982, the company then changed the name into Buffalo Wild Wings in 1998 . The nickname BW3 is still used nowadays, while another name B-Dubs has become more well-known among the public. In 2006, the company launched the first national advertising campaign on ESPN, CBS Sports and WestwoodOne . Although it reached a big size, its advertising history is short comparing to its competitors’ and the company history. In spite of its lateness to catch the advertising trend, the brand’s consistent branding strategies in terms of logo, slogan, color and many other elements with distinctive style make it an iconic restaurant franchise in the United States.

Color is an important element for Buffalo Wild Wings. The dominance of yellow and black with highlights of white and grey make a strong visual contrast. The simplicity of the combination also makes the logo more recognizable among its competitors. With the high contrast and consistent color combination, the colors creates the visual identity that can be related to the brand itself. The brand logo appears everywhere from waiters’ uniforms to take-away boxes. The logo is composed with a buffalo, which is also the brand’s mascot, the name, and the tagline “WINGS. BEER. SPORTS” .

The icon of black buffalo mascot with a wing at its back responds to the name “Buffalo Wild Wings”. The white and grey highlights as well as the yellow background color that makes it comply to the theme color and builds brand identity. The tagline emphasizes on three elements that Buffalo Wild Wings focuses on, which also resonates with how the company position itself: bar and grill. The positioning set the atmosphere of a relaxed place with casual food and drinks, coherent with the tagline.

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The last element, sports, in the tagline, is conveyed through many other ways. Firstly, the design of all the restaurants is sports-fan-friendly. CEO Sally Smith commented on designing their restaurants to have a stadium look and feel . Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants are filled with flat-screen televisions and projector screens, all playing sports throughout the day. Buffalo Wild Wings takes a lot of pride in creating an experience for their customers, which also often includes arcade games and virtual trivia. The interior choices carry the high-energy, fun sports vibe that B-Dubs tries to sell to their consumers.

However, sports for them extends way further than just inside the restaurant. Since 2013 Buffalo Wild Wings has had an official partnership with the NCAA, with rights surrounding all their events including March Madness. As well, they recently sponsored 23 Universities, to “further cement its position as the “official hangout” for collegiate sports fans” . These tight ties with sports and the NCAA have a huge influence on the direction of their ad campaigns and commercials.

A recent campaign “We do it for you” focused on Buffalo Wild Wings being so immersive in the game that your server could take players out and make things happen within the game. Others include being able to extend games, the amount of teams in the tournament. A 90 second commercial from earlier this year then parodies their past ad. The ad stars Brett Favre as he figures out that he wasn’t responsible for all of his interceptions, that many were Buffalo Wild Wings .

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One example of Buffalo Wild Wings’ success can be seen during March Madness in 2014 when they ran a series of ads that would appear in overtime games. This resulted in over 6,000 tweets mentioning the brand, with 95% being positive or neutral, and an uptick in facebook views according to VP of Marketing Bob Ruhland . The surging mentions on social media during overtime build the company a reputation as a “sponsor” for overtime, connecting the brand with sports, especially March Madness. In addition, in 2015 they were the fastest growing restaurant chain in the U.S., showing their potential and value. Overall the advertisements largely use sports and atmosphere as selling points, sticking to their identity.

Some of Buffalo Wild Wings main competitors including T.G.I. Fridays, Applebees, and Hooters look to compete with various advertising strategies. Recently, T.G.I. Fridays has begun a large attempt to appeal more to millennials. This includes the opening of new prototype restaurants with juice and coffee bars, grab-and-go sandwiches and salads, and live music events. Furthermore, they launched a digital-based ad campaign focusing on “Hamilton”, trying to draw off the hype of the hit play. Many other T.G.I. Friday’s commercials focus on the food and deals they’re offering, with many based on their endless appetizers.

Applebees tends to focus on their food as well, highlighted by their “largest marketing initiative to date”. The marketing initiative involves a menu change due to their new wood-fired grills, as they look to set themselves apart. Applebees has had commercials with a sports influence, but are not bound to them like BWW . Hooters often plays with a combination of sports, sex appeal, and humour in their advertisements. Many take place in a Hooters, in an attempt to make the environment seem energetic and exciting .

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Public Opinion and Stakeholder Analysis: Public Opinion: Buffalo Wild Wings is experimenting with options for offering fast, convenient food. The popularity of third party services such as Seamless and GrubHub and a growing preference for quick-serve establishments is damaging the casual restaurant industry . In the first quarter of 2017, restaurants saw same-store sales decline 1.1 percent and traffic decline 3.4 percent, while delivery orders soared. Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith says millennials, who make up 50 percent of Buffalo Wild Wings’ customers, are the drivers of this pattern. To adapt to changing industry trends, Buffalo Wild Wings is shifting its focus toward takeout and delivery options, hoping to capitalize on what Smith believes to be “an addressable opportunity for Buffalo Wild Wings as more consumers are eating at home.

The chain has implemented a number of changes to meet their audiences’ demands. In 2017, they introduced delivery service by partnering with GrubHub and DoorDash, and continue to explore additional third party platforms to reach more customers. In July, Buffalo Wild Wings debuted “B-Dubs Express” in the Minneapolis area. The small-scale format mimics the atmosphere of traditional locations, but features counter-style service that caters to the speed and convenience consumers seek. The chain aims to improve existing takeout service at traditional locations as well.

From a numerical standpoint, these efforts appear to be successful at company-owned locations, where takeout and delivery revenue has grown by 1.9 percent since the second quarter of 2016.The announcement of B-Dubs Express prompted excitement from social media users, with reactions like, “This is a game changer,” and “I am so excited about this!!” however, execution of the concept did not fare as well with actual customers. B-Dubs Express scores only two stars on Yelp; the majority of reviewers citing disorganization and long wait times as the reason for their dissatisfaction. Further examination of Buffalo Wild Wings’ social media responses indicate persisting take-out frustrations at full service restaurants as well.(, , )

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Historically high chicken wing prices pose another challenge to Buffalo Wild Wings. Chicken hatch rates are at their lowest since 2007. This low supply, coupled with increasing popularity for wings, has contributed to a 6 percent increase in price since last year, and is expected to continue to rise. To combat rising costs, Buffalo Wild Wings replaced its popular “Wing Tuesday” – a weekly half-priced wing special – with a weekly “buy one get one” deal on boneless wings in August. COO James Schmidt cited 2016 sales success of the more affordable boneless option as a basis for the change.

Customers have expressed unhappiness with the decision on social media. Since the announcement, Instagram users have commented requests for the deal’s return on every post, save for two photos. One user pleaded, “I kn[o]w traditional wings are expensive, but traditional wing Tuesday is a staple for MILLIONS, bring it back.” The sentiment was echoed across Facebook and Twitter as well with comments such as, “I’ve met a lot of people who also won’t return until you bring [Wing] Tuesday back!!” However, despite being an unpopular decision, cancellation of the Wing Tuesday special did not greatly interfere with sales. Takeout business suffered the biggest loss, but same-stores sales fared better than anticipated.

Stakeholders: Buffalo Wild Wings stockholders and franchisers: Buffalo Wild Wings went public in 2003, with a share of stock selling for $106.10 as of October, 2nd 2017. Buffalo Wild Wings is split 50-50 when it comes to company and franchise ownership. Key institutional stockholders include Blackrock Inc., Vanguard Group, Inc. and Marcato Capital Management LP. Current stockholder Marcato recently got in a proxy battle with Buffalo Wild Wings, stating the company was “over-promising and under-delivering,” urging its co-shareholders to vote for a board shake-up. Marcato’s wanted Buffalo Wild Wings to increase franchise ownership as it is viewed as a more efficient model. Buffalo Wilds Wings denounced this, stating it was based on flawed assumptions.

Buffalo Wild Wings employees: Buffalo Wild Wings currently supports 4,000 full-time employees. As of February 7, 2017, Buffalo Wild Wings runs approximately 1,220 locations worldwide.

Buffalo Wild Wings consumers: The consumers of Buffalo Wild Wings are major stakeholders in the company as they are the ones that allow the restaurant chain to run and operate with the business they provide. Key demographics in their market include upper middle class suburban households, millennials aged 18-34 and males. Buffalo Wild Wings fills the fix for consumers looking for a sports bar, casual dining restaurant.

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Buffalo Wilds Wings Insiders: Buffalo Wild Wings leadership operates the company on a corporate scale, investing in the Buffalo Wild Wings brand both monetarily and with their skillsets. Insiders hold a 1.64% stake in the company, with CEO Sally Smith holding the largest number of shares, 50,119.

Food Suppliers: Food suppliers provide Buffalo Wild Wings with products to serve their consumers, thus making them a stakeholder in the company. One of their food suppliers includes Peco Food Inc., which provides Buffalo Wild Wings with its chicken.It is key to note that an issue is arising when it comes to chicken wings, as demand is outpacing supply in the market combined with the fact that the poultry industry is in a low hatch rate.For example, other chains like Pizza restaurants have gotten into the wing market, it’s not just wing dominated restaurants anymore. This has caused the said shortage and raised chicken wing prices nationally.

Craft Beer Industry Despite associations with beers like Budlight, the Craft Beer industry is a major stakeholder in Buffalo Wild Wings. The chain is the largest pourer of craft beer in the country. This is key because craft beer establishes relationships for the company. It aims to connect with local craft beers that consumers in the area would be familiar with, contributing to the unique atmosphere of the chain. Though some struggles have surfaced for the chicken wing chain, stock has bounced back 20 percent due to craft beer according to Buffalo Wild Wings. Additionally, 20 percent of the chains sales come from alcohol and this could be on the rise as craft beer sales grew 12.8 percent in 2015.

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SWOT Analysis: Brand Key Strengths: Brand awareness of the need for a customizable menu environment Brand’s partnership with organizations like the NCAA Brand’s atmosphere combining sports, wings, beer and family is unique in the casual dining industry Brand’s Key Weaknesses: Brand’s limited scale of operations – unable to perform in-house delivery Brand’s niche market appeals primarily to sports fan Brand’s inability to properly service allergens and health conscious consumers Brand’s Key Opportunities: Room to grow presence and engagement on social media platforms Growing demand for craft beer Non-sporting event days and the non-traditional sports market Brand’s Key Threats: Increasing menu prices sparked from the chicken wing shortage Decreasing favorability of casual dining among millennials More competition between wing-serving restaurants

Key Issues and Implications:

Buffalo Wild Wings is perceived as an “expensive” option due to the rising price of chicken wings, their signature menu item. As a result, customers are going elsewhere with more affordable options. With increased promotions like “Boneless BOGO Tuesdays” and events to combat the rising price of chicken wings, Buffalo Wild Wings will overcome these prices and draw crowds to its restaurants. In a market (casual dining) that is struggling to maintain millennial traffic, Buffalo Wild Wings is limited in their scale of operations to run competitively against fast service chains. Such transition should include investing more resources toward take-out and delivery. While Buffalo Wild Wings is testing a take-out and counter-service model with B-DUB’s Express, the brand must fully implicate a more efficient model of these operations or get restaurant-goers to the restaurant using STADIA type atmospheres. Although the heavy, sports-centric experience serves as a key differentiator for the brand in the casual dining category, it’s possible it deters marketing opportunities for other consumers, such as non-sports fans and families. Reliance and a strong connection sports industry could inadvertently place Buffalo Wild Wings in a vulnerable position to receive backlash during sports controversies. Additionally, this dependence can put the brand risk of technology shifts and different consumer trends, if major changes in the sports industry occur (i.e. new sport networks, watching sports at home).

CITATIONS FOR CHART, COMPETITOR ANALYSIS: http://companies.bizjournals.com/profile/applebee-s/135657/?mkt=bizjournals http://companies.bizjournals.com/profile/hooters/149785/ http://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/food-and-beverages/10571-wingstop.html http://ir.buffalowildwings.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=1010834 https://www.cnbc.com/2014/05/20/carlson-sells-tgi-fridays-reportedly-for-800m.html http://www.mbaskool.com/brandguide/food-and-beverages/9946-buffalo-wild-wings.html http://www.nrn.com/archive/hooters-sold-chanticleer-holdings http://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/applebee-s-sells-remaining-company-locations-kansas-city http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2016/06/12/tgi-fridays-slides-to-loss-despite-rising-sales/ http://marketrealist.com/2016/04/understanding-buffalo-wild-wings-expenses-no-thing-chicken-wing/