BUFFALO WILD WINGS acquired by ARBY’S RESTAURANT GROUP

Arby's Restaurant Group completed the acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings and simultaneously launched Inspire Brands as a new multi-brand restaurant platform. Following closing, Buffalo Wild Wings continued to operate as an independent brand within the Inspire structure, with its management team remaining in place to support continuity and execution. The strategic rationale was to create a diversified restaurant company with scale across multiple occasions and channels, rather than relying on a single concept. Buffalo Wild Wings added a strong casual dining and sports bar brand to Arby's sandwich-led portfolio, giving Inspire exposure to a different customer segment, a more social dining format, and a brand with national awareness and meaningful growth potential. The deal also allowed the combined group to leverage shared expertise in franchising, marketing, digital capabilities, and procurement, while preserving the operating identity of each brand. At the time of launch, Inspire oversaw more than 4,600 company-owned and franchised restaurants across 14 countries, with combined 2017 global system sales above $7.6 billion.