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RC Group Leaves ‘No Stone Left Un-Turned’

Founders of No Stone Left Un-Turned Lee and Authum Pelly, RC Group Regional Marketing Manager Angela Sawyer and mascot Blazin’ Bill.

RC Group’s Beaumont, Texas, Buffalo Wild Wings^® location hosted a fundraiser March 30, benefiting the No Stone Left Un-Turned Corp, a 501c3 nonprofit organization that covers the costs of placing veteran headstones when the family of the fallen veteran is unable to do so. The government covers funeral, burial and provides the headstone for veterans. However, if they are not buried in a military cemetery, it is up to the family to cover placement cost of the headstone. The Eat Wings, Raise Funds (EWRF) event donated 15 percent of sales from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. that Wednesday. Through donations and daily sales, over $1,200 was raised for the organization to provide the honorable mark our veterans and their families deserve.

“As a franchise owner, I strive to give back to my community in any and all ways possible. This event for No Stone Left Un-Turned afforded us the opportunity to give back to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We take every opportunity possible to put funds back into our community and to show our gratitude to our loyal fans,” said RC Group Franchisee Chris Olexa.

From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., several local musicians – two of which are veterans themselves, one being a Purple Heart recipient for injuries he received twice in combat – came out to provide live music on the patio for guests to enjoy. No Stone Left Un-Turned Charity Founder Lee Pelly, a guitarist himself, also took the stage to provide entertainment for all B-Dubs^® guests to enjoy.

There was a great turnout from the community, as well as from veterans in the nearby area that came out to support their fellow comrades. RC Group even provided meals for several homeless veterans who attended the event to see the effort the community was making to give back to their fallen comrades.

Wings West Auctions for a Good Cause

Some of the children enjoying the BWW furniture donated to the Boys & Girls Club of Yuma by Wings West.

After remodeling your restaurant, you are faced with the decision of what to do with the last-generation furniture that no longer matches the restaurant’s new design. Wings West Operations found an ideal solution to this decision that not only acted as a community outreach event, but also as a means to donate to BWW’s chosen charity. Wings West held an auction, March 15, for all of the BWW^® Yuma location’s old Generation 3 furniture, raising $7,200 from sales, and donated the net proceeds to the Boys & Girls Club of Yuma. The furniture leftover from the auction was also donated to the club for the reading room and various places in the facility.

The City of Yuma is a small, close-knit community and had asked Wings West what it was planning on doing with the old furniture after they remodeled the store. “With us being in the community for 10 years, so many of our guests wanted to keep a piece of the store after it was remodeled. It was such a win-win for everyone to auction it off for the Boys & Girls Club. They got a sizable donation, our guests got to take home furniture and have a piece of BWW in their homes, as well as the knowledge that the money they spent went to a great organization in their community,” said Lisa Meyer, Wings West franchisee and COO.

Young scholars enjoying their studies on the BWW furniture donated by Wings West.]

To ensure a successful auction, the event was promoted locally through social media and word-of-mouth. The auction was held at the warehouse owned by the general contractor, Bill DeNise with DeNise Builders, who did the remodel of the Yuma Buffalo Wild Wings^®. The BGC Yuma location was undergoing a huge expansion and renovation at the time of the auction and the event’s proceeds, as well as the donated furniture, greatly aided in the revitalization.

As the Yuma community is small in size, word-of-mouth plays a large role in public perception and morale for local businesses. Wings West believes that much of the positive reaction that was generated from the event, regardless of immediate effect, will help their presence and brand perception continue to grow in the Yuma community.

Lancaster Wings has Family Fun with Family Feud

Lancaster Wings Inc.’s Lancaster, Ohio, location was recently host to several parties for a Central Ohio family for a very exciting reason. The Young family took home thousands in cash, along with the title of “winner” and a new car from the national TV game show, “Family Feud,” and wanted to celebrate with BWW! They went through five rounds on the long-running show, and after filming for several days in Atlanta, along with a full house of over 100 friends and family, came to the Lancaster Buffalo Wild Wings^® for four nights to watch the show air on The CW Television Network.

The Young family chose to celebrate and host all of their watch parties at the Lancaster location as it was large enough to accommodate the party with more than enough TVs for each night. They held all four watch parties at the restaurant from Feb. 17-19 and Feb. 22 at 7 p.m., coordinated by Shayne Hurd, the restaurant’s general manager.

The Young family is shown with “Family Feud” host Steve Harvey in a photo courtesy of The CW Television Network.

The Youngs’ success and their parties at BWW were even shown on Fox28 News after “Family Feud” reached out and notified Lancaster local media about the family’s victory. To further promote the event, the watch parties were also advertised on a digital sign in front of the store, which brought in a large following on top of the already robust attendance list. Perhaps Buffalo Wild Wings^®may just be this family’s good luck charm – or, at the very least a place to enjoy their good fortune with good friends and great food.

“Our goal is to help make our local community the best place to live, work, play and dine,” said Larry Tipton, Lancaster Wings franchisee. “We were thrilled to be the restaurant of choice to host the Young family’s ‘Family Feud’ watch party, and congratulate them on their success!”

World Wide Wings Celebrates a Wish with a Slam Dunk

The Make-A-Wish Foundation is known for its prolific quests to bring joy to thousands of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses each year. Now, Buffalo Wild Wings^® has joined its ranks, by helping celebrate 13-year-old Scott Baisden’s once-in-a-lifetime gift from the foundation. Scott was diagnosed with cancer while only in middle school. After spending 10 months in the hospital, Scott’s doctors suggested the family reach out to the Make-A-Wish program. Scott’s wish to meet Damian Lillard, the Portland Trail Blazers basketball star who has been recognized as a two-time winning NBA All-Star and the 2012 – 2013 NBA Rookie of the Year, came true in April 2016.

Scott Baisden, 13-year-old winner of a Make-A-Wish event, celebrated the exciting occasion with a playoff watch party at World Wide Wing’s Buffalo Wild Wings #3458.

However, the merriment did not end with their introduction, nor when Scott ate lunch with Lillard, met the entire Portland Blazers team or even when he sat courtside with a friend to watch a game. Scott was then treated to an exciting evening with friends and family at World Wide Wing’s Buffalo Wild Wings #3458. BWW hosted a watch party for Scott, Saturday, May 7, at 5:15 p.m. during the Blazers playoff game. Scott’s entourage, a party of 13 including family and Make-A-Wish volunteers, wore jerseys sporting their pride for their favorite basketball teams or Make-A-Wish t-shirts to show their appreciation to the beloved foundation.

World Wide Wings donated $150 gift card to help cover the party’s costs for food and drink during their celebration as well as Blazer beads and posters. As World Wide Wings previously hosted a Make-A-Wish party last year at the same restaurant, a volunteer from the foundation reached out to B-Dubs^® asking if they would host another for one of its young winners. To further the excitement, the Blazers defeated the Golden State Warriors 120-108.

“We have been supporting the Make a Wish Foundation since we opened our first B-Dubs. To date, we have raised over $130,000, granting over 25 wishes. For many of these children, the wishes we grant make a turning point in the fight against their illness. Doctors, nurses and other health professionals say that the wish experience works in concert with medicine to make their patients feel better emotionally and even physically. That is why wishes matter and that is why we are so passionate to support of Make-A-Wish,” said Joe Janaszek, World Wide Wings franchisee.

BWW Employee Embodies Honesty

BWW employee Kaylie Cyr is a B-Dubs® team member who showed exemplary honesty and professionalism when a customer left a large sum of cash by accident.

Kaylie Cyr, a server at Pictor Enterprises’ Buffalo Wild Wings in South Portland, Maine, recently exemplified employee excellence and honesty. On March 10, Cyr was working at restaurant #3544 when she went to bus one of her tables and noticed an unsealed envelope left behind by a customer. Inside, she discovered $1,700 in cash – a mighty sum for anyone – let alone a 24-year-old college student. However, without a second thought, Cyr immediately turned in the envelope to the manager on duty, Paul Traugott, who recognized the name written on the front of the envelope, Glen Morse of Morse Builders.

Although Traugott knew this guest by name, he did not have enough information to track him down. Traugott left a note in the manager’s log describing what happened and to expect a guest to come back in the following morning looking for the envelope. Sure enough, the next morning, Morse came looking for the money, and after the BWW staff was able to verify his identity, it was promptly returned to him.

“We are very proud of Kaylie for doing the right thing! We are lucky to have her on our team. She represents what we look for in all of our team members, and we couldn’t be happier for her for the recognition she is receiving,” continued Jason Cole, Pictor Enterprises franchisee. “Setting a good example is contagious and hopefully we will hear of more uplifting stories like this one in the future.”

Morse, who had the envelope on hand for payroll and bills, was so impressed with her honesty that he came into the restaurant a few days later and gave Cyr $100 to say thank you. Morse also cryptically mentioned to Cyr that this deed would not go unnoticed. A few days after, the Portland Press Herald asked to speak with Cyr because the guest had called the newspaper and told them the story. This led to a small web story about the event, which then prompted the local radio station, WJBQ Q97.9, to feature a story on Cyr as well.

“I’m happy I was able to give him his money back. I know I’d want someone to do the same for me. I wasn’t expecting to get anything in return, and I was surprised and happy that he gave me $100 for turning it in,” said Cyr.

Buffalo Wild Wings Offers a Smashing Good Time

Carolina Wings Management hosted its fifth annual Rivalry Car Bash at its Eastwood restaurant located in Wilmington, North Carolina, March 5. The Saturday event was held to celebrate the infamous basketball-fueled rivalry between Duke University and University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. For the past five years, Carolina Wings Management has teamed up with its local Brigade Boys & Girls Club and ESPN Radio to execute one of the most talked about events of the year.

This year’s donated car took a beating to benefit a good cause for the Rivalry Car Bash benefiting the Boys & Girls Club.

Carolina Wings Management receives a donated vehicle, courtesy of a local salvage yard in exchange for sponsorship endorsement, paints one side Carolina blue and the other side Duke blue. For just $1, fans of all ages are allowed to hit the car using a sledgehammer. Each year, this event draws a spirited crowd that flocks to the BWW restaurant to take a swing on the vehicle and purchase the limited edition “Car Bash T-shirts” that sport #beatduke or #beatunc on them. All proceeds raised from the sale of the annual event benefits the local Brigade Boys & Girls Club.

This year, Carolina Wings Management raised over $2,000 for the club through the Car Bash swings, customized Car Bash T-shirt sales and raffle tickets to the NCAA Tournament regional game held in Raleigh, North Carolina. This event is one of the many lively ways that Buffalo Wild Wings^® sponsors Boys & Girls Clubs across the country, but it is also one event that Carolina Wings Management Franchisee Larry Alderson gets personally excited about.

“You will see that the Duke side of the car took the most damage – not only the car, but later that night on the court as well. Go Carolina!” cheered Alderson.

Let’s Eat Out Builds Teams and Plunges Down

Blazin’ Bill was a huge hit amongst the athletes of Special Olympics Arkansas who also came out to the Polar Plunge fundraiser.

The staff of Let’s Eat Out, Inc.’s Buffalo Wild Wings^® in Mountain Home, Arkansas, participated in the chilling annual fundraiser, Polar Plunge, Feb. 28. Polar Plunge is the largest fundraising effort benefiting Special Olympics in which individuals and teams dive into various bodies of cold water across the United States to raise funds and awareness for the program.

BWW’s involvement with the program organically grew into a team-building exercise after Let’s Eat Out’s regional manager, Carter May, drove by an advertisement for the fundraiser and presented the idea to his team. This event also served as a means for the Mountain Home staff to enjoy time with May shortly before his last day at the Mountain Home location. The team of 12, including a team member’s son, ranged from the BWW Guest Experience Captain, cooks, bar managers and even one former manager – a true testament to the genuine loyalty of this B-Dubs^® team.

The Arkansas Polar Plunge took place at Norfolk Lake in Mountain Home with a welcoming 40-degree temperature. Blazin’ Bill was even in attendance to cheer on the team and provide smiles and hugs to the many Special Olympics athletes also participating in the event. As a team, B-Dubs raised $800 for Special Olympics Arkansas, and the total for the day raised from all teams was just over $12,000!

The Buffalo Wild Wings team before their icy plunge to benefit Special Olympics Arkansas!

“Most come together for Best Costume or Largest Group, but as far as fun goes, our Mountain Home Buffalo Wild Wings team was the clear winner! It was such a great opportunity for team development, as well as a great time for the Special Olympics athletes who came to show their support. It was truly an amazing day that won’t be forgotten anytime soon,” continued May.

“It was also bittersweet as it was the last event that I would get to do with my team from Mountain Home, as I accepted a transfer to another state. A big thank you to our owner, Jim Bruno, for supporting us. He started the donation and the team added on top of his original contribution. He let us get together as a team and let us take out the Blazin’ Bill suit – he is our major sponsor.”