Sikeston's newest bar and grill designed with sports, food enthusiasts in mind

Sunday, January 28, 2007
Partners Lonnie Griggs and Bill Zellmer check out menus for the new sports-themed restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings.

SIKESTON - Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar will stampede into Sikeston with a Jan. 28 opening at 231 N. Main St.

Owners and brothers-in-law Bill Zellmer and Lonnie Griggs said the casual family-style restaurant will cater to an important segment of the population -- the sports buffs.

"We want to become the neighborhood gathering place, with a local restaurant atmosphere and world-renowned wings and service," Zellmer explained. "Buffalo Wild Wings is a restaurant where guests can relax, pull their tables together, enjoy sports and share good food and good times."

Case in point -- during the World Series, customers at Buffalo Wild Wings in Cape Girardeau quickly went from strangers to friends as shared the excitement by cheering, clapping and performing exuberant high fives. "It is just what we wanted," noted Zellmer, himself avid sports enthusiast.

Zellmer's goal is to have every televised sporting event available at the restaurant. Consequently there are 38 televisions, three plasmas and eight big screens.

The menu includes boneless wings, specialty burgers and sandwiches, ribs, finger foods, shrimp, wraps, salads and Naked Tenders, which are non-

breaded, all white meat chicken tenders lightly seasoned and served with a choice of one of 14 Buffalo Wild Wings signature sauces.

Despite the choices, the main attraction remains Buffalo, N.Y.-style chicken wings. Every Tuesday guests can order their favorite wings for just 35¢ each. "Medically speaking, Buffalo Wild Wings are not addictive,"joked Griggs. "But I keep hearing people at our other locations claim they are hooked."

For the thirsty, the Buffalo Wild Wings offers 20 beers on tap plus 30 different choices of bottles.

The restaurant, which will seat 212 customers, will open at 10:30 a.m. seven days a week, closing at midnight Sunday through Thursday and at 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. About 110 "teammates" have been hired from the Sikeston area.

Ongoing perks for the customers are complimentary Buzztime trivia and other tabletop games, wireless internet connections and video games. Additionally, the restaurant setting is suitable for large parties.

This is the third BWW franchise to open in the area -- Zellmer successfully introduced the concept in Cape Girardeau in 2002, then built the Carbondale, Ill., restaurant last year. Next on the agenda is taking Buffalo Wild Wings to Poplar Bluff in July.

Buffalo Wild Wings is one of the top 10 growing restaurant chains in the nation and has become a favorite in many cities around the U.S., receiving rave reviews and "Best Wings" designations from publications like the Dallas Observer, Indianapolis Monthly, Cleveland's Scene Magazine, Chicago's Inside Publications, Cincinnati Magazine and Minneapolis/St. Paul Magazine.

Buffalo Wild Wings originated from a need in 1981 when two Ohio college students craving Buffalo-style wings were unable to buy any inspiring them to design their own restaurant concept. The idea caught on and today Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. features a variety of made-to-order menu items served in neighborhood destination.

There are more than 415 Buffalo Wild Wings establishments in 37 states.

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