Buffalo Wild Wings to open 2nd PH store in July

MANILA, Philippines – The opening of Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW) in the Philippines marked its first foray into the Asian market.

In January, BWW inaugurated its first branch in Capitol Commons, Pasig City. It will open another at Glorietta 2 in Makati City in July.

The Minnesota-based restaurant brings to the Philippines its brand of New York-style chicken wings, 17 of 21 homespun signature sauces, beers, and burgers and flatbreads. It provides a casual dining and sports bar combo, and has an aggressive expansion strategy.

In 33 years, it has grown to 1,080 branches across 4 countries in 3 continents.

BWW found its first partner in Asia in The Bistro Group, a multi-brand franchisee that has made famous the likes of TGI Fridays, Italianni’s, and Fish & Co.

Great partnership

In town for a visit, BWW president and chief executive officer Sally Smith on Thursday, June 25, cited the factors that finally pushed them to enter the Philippine market: the vibrancy of the venue; food that is compatible with the local palate; the Filipino fascination with sports; and the great partnership with The Bistro Group.

“Clearly, we’re partners with someone we wanted to partner with. Probably the most important thing that I look for in a country is who is going to be our partner,” Smith said. “I want to make sure they can translate the United States brand to the Filipino market.”

Without disclosing investment figures, Smith shared that BWW plans to build 5 Philippine stores in two years. Some areas they are looking at are Uptown Place Mall at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City; SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City; and Cebu City and Boracay Island in the provinces.

Establishing their manufacturing operation in the country is also in the pipeline.

Asian expansion

Smith said that the love for chicken, the love for beer, and the love for sports are almost universal. Asia is not exempt.

The goal of BWW,  publicly listed company with current market capitalization of $2.98 billion, is to have 400 international stores in 10 years.

The CEO added that 300 stores are likely to be in Asia.

By end of July and beginning of August, BWW  will launch branches in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia. The company just signed with a partner in India and anticipates an agreement for Vietnam in two weeks.

Smith said they also want to tap the connections of The Bistro Group in places like South Korea and Hong Kong.

The expansion will happen as the casual dining chain continues to reinvent itself.

BWW offers time-limited sauces, such as Korean barbecue and salted caramel. They follow flavor trends around the world and capitalize on that.

In the country, BWW has included rice in the menu to acknowledge the Filipino dining staple.

“Our expansion plans include prioritizing Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. We have seen the immense potential that these regions have to offer. And the Philippines is most definitely an important growth area in our overall campaign,” Smith said. – Rappler.com

 

Shadz Loresco is a freelance business writer for both online and print. Follow her on Twitter: @shadzloresco.

 

Buffalo Wild Wings food and restaurant photos from its PH Facebook page