Buffalo Wild Wings sets tentative opening date for new location in downtown State College
Sports bar chain Buffalo Wild Wings plans to open March 17 in downtown State College, soon after Penn State students return from spring break and just days before the start of March Madness.
The annual college basketball tournament is the business’ bread and butter, Marketing Director Rick Small told the Centre Daily Times.
“We’re really excited to be in the State College area and serving Penn State,” Small said Tuesday.
Buffalo Wild Wings is preparing to open at The Maxxen, a high-rise at 131 Hiester St. It would be the restaurant’s first location in Centre County. Its nearest location is in Lycoming County, about an hour and 15 minutes away.
The chain has more than 1,300 locations nationwide, including 30 others in Pennsylvania.
The State College location would be open 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Seating for 260 people — 214 inside and 46 on an outdoor patio — will be available.
Traditional, boneless and cauliflower wings with 26 sauces and rubs are on the menu, as well as hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads and appetizers. The restaurant also has a kids menu with cheeseburgers, wings, chicken tenders and mac and cheese.
The restaurant will also offer alcohol, thanks in part to a conditional liquor license transfer unanimously approved in August by State College Borough Council.
Chief among the conditions is a requirement that at least 60% of revenue comes from food sales. The company will be required to provide quarterly reports to verify the sales.
During a public hearing about the transfer, details shared by attorney Mark Kozar showed the business should have little issue meeting the requirement. Average alcohol sales for the chain make up only 14.5% of revenue, while the remaining amount comes from food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Other conditions prevent alcohol from being sold any time food is not available and do not allow the license to be transferred again without approval from the borough. Drink containers may not exceed 22 ounces.
Buffalo Wild Wings has long been interested in the State College area. The chain submitted plans in December 2015 to open in Ferguson Township, but withdrew them about two years later.
The restaurant’s opening will likely be celebrated by at least some within the borough’s leadership, which has bemoaned how much commercial space has sat vacant in the high-rises.
“It’s an amazing location and the owners are very excited to have this opportunity. They feel it’s a great fit,” realtor Kandy Weader said during a public hearing. “Plus, we’ve been trying to get a wing establishment in State College of this caliber for as long as I can remember, so we think that’s a very good fit for our area.”