who owns buffalo wild wings
Buffalo Wild Wings is owned by Inspire Brands , a privately held restaurant group that is majority-controlled and backed by the private equity firm Roark Capital Group.
Who owns Buffalo Wild Wings right now?
- Buffalo Wild Wings is a wholly owned subsidiary of Inspire Brands, based in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Inspire Brands itself is majority owned and controlled by investment funds affiliated with Roark Capital Group, a large private equity firm focused on franchise and consumer brands.
- Because Inspire Brands is private, Buffalo Wild Wings stock is not traded on public markets anymore.
How did Inspire Brands get Buffalo Wild Wings?
- In 2018, Buffalo Wild Wings was bought in an all‑cash deal by Arby’s Restaurant Group for about 2.9 billion dollars in enterprise value.
- After the acquisition, Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings were placed under a new holding company called Inspire Brands, which became the formal parent.
- The acquisition ended Buffalo Wild Wings’ run as an independent public company and shifted it into a private, PE‑backed structure.
Quick history of ownership
- Originally, Buffalo Wild Wings was founded in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio, by Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery.
- Over time it grew into a large publicly traded chain before performance pressures and slowing sales led to the 2018 sale to Arby’s/Inspire Brands.
- Today, the brand operates as one of several restaurant concepts in the Inspire portfolio, alongside Arby’s, Sonic, Jimmy John’s, Dunkin’ and Baskin‑Robbins.
Key facts in one glance (HTML table)
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Current brand owner | Inspire Brands, Inc. (private restaurant holding company, based in Atlanta, Georgia) | [9][3]
| Ultimate financial backer | Roark Capital Group (private equity firm; majority owner/controller of Inspire Brands) | [1][5][3]
| Ownership type | Wholly owned subsidiary; not separately publicly traded | [5][3]
| Acquisition year | 2018 (all‑cash acquisition by Arby’s Restaurant Group, then folded into Inspire Brands) | [3][5]
| Original founders | Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery, founded in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio | [7][3]
| Related brands under Inspire | Arby’s, Sonic Drive‑In, Jimmy John’s, Dunkin’, Baskin‑Robbins, and others | [9][3]