For the second year in a row, JK&T Wings, owned by the Ward/Carmody group, held a fundraiser for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization focused on raising awareness for childhood cancer.

In just two years, JK&T Wings has raised over $120,000 for the foundation and has touched the lives of many individuals and families around them. On Oct. 13, JK&T Wings’ St. Clair Shores, Michigan, location held a six-hour event that raised $55,000 and hosted special guests Detroit Tiger legends Jim Price and Dave Rozena, who both shared stories and laughs with attendees and signed autographs.

The rest of the fundraiser consisted of live music by Brother Crowe, carnival games for the younger attendees and a raffle with over 70 prizes, including grills, coolers, game tickets, signed memorabilia, golf bags and more. The entire event was free to the community and successfully inspired attendees and locals. Many attendees stepped up and volunteered to shave their heads to raise awareness for childhood cancer, something that is a hallmark aspect of St. Baldrick’s fundraisers nationwide. Two general managers, a district manager and store manager with the St. Clair Shores location shaved their heads as well.

“Thank you again to all the volunteers that worked countless hours, the over 80 brave souls who shaved their heads, to all the barbers and stylists that stood on their feet for hours shaving heads and also to all the folks that came out to be a part of the event,” said participant Kevin Danaj.

Although the entire fundraiser was inspiring, there was one moment that stood out above the rest. “Three parents shared their emotional stories about the battles they have endured with childhood cancer. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” said Danaj. “Anne, Debbie and Stanley, you touched the lives of many, and our prayers will be with you and all the families who fight those dreaded four words – ‘your child has cancer.’”

From July 22-29, The Jones Group’s Portage, Indiana, Buffalo Wild Wings^® offered up more than Wings. Beer. Sports. The location decided to capitalize on the Discovery Channel’s annual Shark Week programming by creating themed cocktails.

“The drinks were a few that we already serve; we just renamed them to give them that connection with Shark Week. The alcoholic drinks ranged from $6-$9, and the non-alcoholic drinks ranged from $3-$5,” said Regional Manager Mandy McCoy. “In past years, we’ve shown Shark Week on our TVs, but we’ve never promoted it like this until Assistant Manager John Karczewski had the idea to really promote Shark Week and make it a weeklong event. Our guests really enjoyed the theme, and we are already looking for new ideas for next year.”

Cocktails included the Shark Cage Margarita, Shark Attack Sangria, Hawaiian Beach, Hammerhead Shark, Electric Shark and the Shark Bite Bloody Mary. For those not yet 21, the restaurant offered Bottom of the Ocean Lemonade, Shark Attack Lemonade and Captain Crunch’s Voyage.

“This week was not only fun for us, it was special, too,” said General Manager Darci Lopez. “Here in Portage, we really drive community connection. We take pride in working as a team to ensure our community knows we are here to serve them! This was unique because we really tried to grab hold of a different crowd that may not have planned on coming in otherwise.”

“It was the collaboration of the whole team that really brought this together, but our bartender, Brittany Long, and shift manager, Allen Long, sat down and really worked out the details,” agreed McCoy. “They also came up with drinks that we didn’t have on our menu but drinks that we could make and ring in such as the Hammerhead Shark and the Electric Shark.”

In addition to offering fun, festive drinks, The Jones Group, owned by Mike and Mark Jones, also aired live Shark Week programming on the big screens, and bartender Ricky Thompson even sported a fun Shark Week outfit and interacted with kids throughout the restaurant.

“We enjoyed the opportunity to host such a fun event and are thankful to be a part of a franchise group that encourages creativity,” explained McCoy. “It took the whole team to really bring it together, from the spark of an idea to team execution, doing what we do best in everyday operations.”

The Portage team celebrated the event as a huge success and is already looking forward to next year when it plans to host a kids’ night with more themed activities.

“This is truly a great example of a grassroots promotion that was put together by our team members,” said The Jones Group COO Kirk Hartman. “At this year’s conference, COO John Bowie committed to putting the ‘Wild’ back into Buffalo Wild Wings. This is something that The Jones Group has taken to heart and are challenging our team members to do just that every day. I believe that this promotion is a terrific example of bringing a little ‘Wild’ into our restaurants.”

On April 18, Four M Franchising, LLC’s Times Square, New York, location invited the local Educational Alliance Chapter to come in and be a part of their operations.

Members of the chapter came in before the store opened to help decorate the restaurant, set up designated pamphlets at the front door to hand out to guests, and also assisted with handing out take out menus to guests and tourists at the front door.

“The event was a success,” said Jean-Paul Parnizari, director of operations with Four M Franchising, LLC. “They took pictures with guests and greeted them with warmth and big smiles as they entered the restaurant.”

Ten percent of the entire day’s sales, totaling $1,500, were donated to the organization.

Eighteen staff members and four members of the Boys & Girls Club of America were all in attendance for the event and discounted fast break lunch options were offered to guests. “This was a spirited day where staff and guests alike all enjoyed the festivities and took pride in contributing to such an amazing organization,” said Beth Faulkner, director of operations with Four M Franchising, LLC.

In addition to the event the Times Square, New York, location put on, Four M Franchising’s New Rochelle, New York, location hosted an EWRF event for the local New Rochelle Boys & Girls Club. Youth of the Boys & Girls Club handed out flyers and spoke to guests and enjoyed lunch with the store’s general manager. “General Manager Greg and his team treated the kids to some wings and desserts to keep those smiles wide,” said Faulkner. “This was a great day where we were able to demonstrate our commitment to our local communities and have some fun while doing so!”

Thirteen people were in attendance for the event, and 10 percent of the day’s sales went to the local Boys & Girls Club. “We thoroughly enjoy hosting our local BGCA every year,” said Parnizari. “It brings a sense of community, and the smiles on the kid’s faces are priceless.”

Four M Franchising, LLC also held a field day for the Milford Boys & Girls Club in Connecticut. The Milford BWW^® hosted a wing-eating contest for the kids, water fights and other activities. “This is an event that the kids look forward to every year, and we are so excited to take part for the past couple of years,” said Faulkner.

On Feb. 19, 100 guests gathered to Franklin’s Management of Cleveland’s Cleveland, Ohio, BWW^® to listen in on a sports panel hosted by some of Cleveland’s top sports radio talk show personalities.

The event started at 7:30 a.m. and was hosted by Les Levine and the Cleveland Jewish News. The event consisted of a panel discussion on various Cleveland sports topics and a Q&A session about the Cleveland Browns, Cavaliers, Indians and Ohio State Buckeyes. “Buffalo Wild Wings^® has been a sponsor of the event for several years, and this was the first year we hosted the event at the restaurant,” said Colleen Flowers, director of marketing with Franklin’s Management of Cleveland, owned by Jerry Franklin Jr.

The Cleveland Jewish News provided baked goods, fruit, coffee and juice for the attendees, and each guest received a Buffalo Wild Wings-themed tote bag with a coupon to be used on their next visit. “Even though the event was held before we were open, the buzz was out, and we saw several guests come back that day to dine with us,” said Flowers.

The main highlight of the event included a special guest appearance from a retired NBA player. “Brad Sellers, who played with the Chicago Bulls in the late 1980s, is now the mayor of Warrensville Heights and spoke on the panel,” said Flowers. “It was great to see our mayor support another wonderful community event.”

On Aug. 22, Buffalo Wild Wings^® Casa Grande celebrated its third anniversary. “We are proud to say that we have been welcomed into this small, quaint community in Arizona with wide-open arms,” said Gayle Schmidt, who owns BWW^® Casa Grande along with Bill Schmidt. “We are located right off the interstate, so we have a lot of travelers stop in for a bite when they are passing from Phoenix to Tucson or vice versa. We have also become a common meeting ground for people from these two areas who want to meet somewhere in the middle – thus, the reason for our billboard on the freeway.”

BWW Casa Grande has gained so many loyal Blazin’ Rewards members that they decided to honor them in a special way on this year’s anniversary with a free fast break lunch from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. with cake. “We are very proud to say that we still have three of our opening managers and 14 members of our opening team,” said Schmidt. “We play as hard as we work!”

BWW Casa Grande is involved with its local Boys & Girls Club, the Greater Casa Grande Chamber of Commerce and the local school districts, both elementary and high school. Along with EWRF events and HTAs, which the town greatly supports, Buffalo Wild Wings® Casa Grande holds a “Kick For Wings Contest” at halftime during the local high school’s home football games.

“Our captain and mascot round up two qualifying kickers to attempt to kick a field goal from either the 10-, 20- or 30-yard line,” said Schmidt. “Depending on which yard line they choose, they could win 50, 100 or 150 wings.”

But that’s not all BWW Casa Grande does within the community. They also host the same event during basketball season where participants shoot a basket from the free-throw line, the 3-point line or mid-court. “It always provokes crowd excitement and a lot of people come to the restaurant after the games,” said Schmidt.

Due to BWW Casa Grande’s involvement with the local community and accommodation for families and big groups to gather, Buffalo Wild Wings has become a staple to Casa Grande. “Because we’re a small town, we advertise in the local town shopper,” said Schmidt. “That seems to work well for us, and we earn lots of new guests, who we build lasting relationships with and who eventually become part of our ‘regular family.’ We hope to win their trust and likeability to keep us here for many more years!”