BUFFALO WILD WINGS
Acquired by
ARBY’S RESTAURANT GROUP
BUFFALO WILD WINGS acquired by ARBY’S RESTAURANT GROUP
Context
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.
BUFFALO WILD WINGS, which reported an EBITDA margin of LOGIN in 2017, is valued in this transaction at an EV/EBITDA multiple of LOGIN, representing a LOGIN to the average currently observed in the Retail & Consumer sector (11.5x).
Note that this data is based on contribution from our growing community, composed of M&A and Private Equity professionals, and has been verified by our team to ensure its accuracy.
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Target
Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. is a U.S.-based casual dining and sports bar chain founded in 1982 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The company specializes in chicken wings, sauces, burgers, sandwiches, appetizers, and beer, serving guests in a sports-driven, high-energy environment built around live game viewing and social dining. Its core proposition combines made-to-order food with a bar-and-grill experience, and it has become one of the most recognizable wing brands in the U.S. restaurant market. Buffalo Wild Wings operated a large domestic system with both company-owned and franchised locations and generated meaningful national brand awareness through its sports marketing and game-day traffic. The chain’s business model relied on a mix of restaurant sales, franchise royalties, and advertising contributions, with a strong emphasis on guest experience and repeat visits.
Ent. Value
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Equity Value
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Multiples
EV / Revenue
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EV / EBITDA
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EV / EBIT
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Historical Financials (USD)
Other operations with BUFFALO WILD WINGS
REFERENCES
Valuation range: EV 3b - 100b USD
EBITDA range: 250M - 500M USD
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Authors: mynth contributor (mynth data is contributed by M&A / PE professionals and systematically cross-verified with private deal documents and official press releases).