Buffalo Wild Wings Tests Beer Delivery

The pilot program will add delivery options via its mobile app in parts of Ohio.

August 01, 2017

DAYTON, Ohio – Buffalo Wild Wings will run a pilot program on beer delivery this year in some Ohio cities, the Dayton Business Journal reports. President and CEO Sally Smith revealed the test during an earnings call last week.

With same-store sales plummeting at Buffalo Wild Wings in the second quarter, the chicken wings chain has pressure from higher chicken prices and fast-causal brands honing in on casual chain restaurant territory.

A report by Nation’s Restaurant News found that delivery can be a “double-edge sword. … While delivery provides companies opportunities to reach guests in search of convenience, such customers don’t order the higher margin beverages. That’s tough for a chain like Buffalo Wild Wings that has built its business in large part on alcohol sales.”

Buffalo Wild Wings recently announced it would debut a new format, B-Dubs Express, which focuses on takeout and delivery in a smaller footprint and scaled-down menu. “We'll learn more about the flexibility and opportunity that B-Dubs Express gives us as we seek to penetrate higher density markets where the millennial population is moving,” Smith said.

Also, the chicken wing chain will work on its loyalty program to boost numbers and provide more opportunities for targeted offers. Smith indicated that the program will give the company information on “frequency [and] brand preferences” so it can “develop more targeted marketing programs.”

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