Quick Verdict · who it fits
Buffalo Wild Wings International, Inc. fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$2.5M - $4.9M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$25K
Royalty (Item 6)
5% + 2–4% ad
Item 19 median rev
$3.43M
System size (Item 20)
549 +11
Years in business
36+ yrs
Company-owned units
629
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Where units actually land — not just the headline average.
P25
$2.37M
Median
$3.43M
P75
$4.88M
▪ n = 532 units · all franchised units · Source: 2026 FDD Item 19
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 5% + ad fund 2–4% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$3,430,000
$100k$6.2M
Royalty (5%)
—
Ad fund (2–4%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
1,178
Total units open
11 franchised units
Units opened last year
15 new franchised locations minus 4 closures
4 franchised units
Units closed last year
11 franchised units
Net unit growth
net system decline of 5 total units due to company-owned reductions
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Buffalo Wild Wings International ranks against 607 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
97th pct · of 607 peers
Franchise fee
14th pct · of 607 peers
System size
88th pct · of 607 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$460K - $1.5M
Avg franchise fee
$43K
Avg system size
322
Franchises analyzed
607
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Wild Wings International | Disclosed | $25K | $2.5M - $4.9M | 5% | 549 |
| BycSimilar price | None | $10K | $1.7M - $4.9M | 4.5% | 41 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | Disclosed | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Buffalo Wild Wings International, Inc. requires a $25,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $2,463,945–$4,900,320, per the most recent FDD on file.
Yes. Buffalo Wild Wings International, Inc. discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $3,433,937. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 5% of Gross Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 4% of Gross Sales; 2% for Non-Traditional Locations on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Buffalo Wild Wings International, Inc. has 549 total locations, with 11 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt