Buffalo Wild Wings Was Once Known By A Slightly Different Name

Buffalo Wild Wings (or B-Dubs, as it's been lovingly referred to over the years) — three words that instantly conjure up visions of orange-stained napkins, sauce-drenched chicken wings, and the fond memories of watching countless sports games, blurring into one boisterous montage. It's a name so familiar that anything else just sounds almost jarring and foreign to the ears. And yet, before the beloved sports bar franchise built an empire out of its iconic moniker, it once went by a slightly different name: Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck.

It all started in 1982, when Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery—native New Yorkers who had just moved to Columbus, Ohio—found themselves craving authentic, New York-style Buffalo wings. At the time, they were not the mainstream phenomenon they are today, so the pair either had to make an over-8-hour road trip back to New York to get them or take matters into their own hands and open a Buffalo wings joint right where they lived. Spoiler alert: They chose the latter option. And thus, Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck was born.

"Buffalo Wild Wings" is self-explanatory enough, but what does "Weck" mean? It's a reference to another regional delicacy from Buffalo called kümmelweck, also known as beef on weck, or weck for short – another dish that the wing joint offered at the time. German influences combined with the Western New York culinary scene created weck: kaiser sandwich rolls, stuffed with slow-roasted beef slices, and dipped in au jus. So there you have it, one of the most eye-opening facts about Buffalo Wild Wings traces back to its original name, reflecting how it started as a way to bring back the taste of home.

Over the years, as the wing joint became more and more successful, with branches opening across Ohio, Indiana, and Colorado, the original name got shortened into BW-3 amongst loyal customers. Even to this day, you might still see it floating around every now and then, a somewhat perplexing acronym for those unaware of its decades-long history.

That said, despite being embedded into the name and plastered on the front doors, the beef on weck dish itself did not perform as well as the wings. Rather, the main draws of the chain were chicken wings and the myriad of sauces accompanying them, along with the cozy yet rowdy and cheerful atmosphere, brought on by wall-mounted TVs centered around sports games. This led to the beef sandwiches being dropped both from the menu and the restaurant's name about 10 years after BW-3 first opened. 

However, this decision would not be made official until 1998, when the name Buffalo Wild Wings was officially used on advertisements, bottled wing sauces, and franchised branches. By 2000, the chain, having expanded exponentially with locations in 19 different states, changed its full name to Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar. Nowadays, while the original name has almost completely faded into obscurity, Buffalo Wild Wings remains true to the fundamental values that catapulted it to success in the first place.