Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Restaurant Franchise

About Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Restaurant

As its name suggests, Buffalo’s is mainly about one thing: amazing buffalo wings. From a few simple sauces and grilled wings, the Buffalo’s menu has expanded to include almost 20 different types of tasty wings. Honey bacon BBQ, sweet teriyaki, Cajun dry rub, sriracha and old-fashioned Carolina fire BBQ are a few popular options. Full-service restaurants and drive-thru locations also offer scrumptious tacos, wraps, burgers, flatbread and other Southwest flavor favorites with authentic kick.

Buffalo’s is owned by FAT Brands, Inc. This parent company also owns several other restaurant chains, such as Fatburger, Bonanza Steakhouse, Ponderosa Steakhouse, Yalla Mediterranean and Hurricane Grill & Wings.

Why Choose Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Restaurant?

One attractive feature of the Buffalo’s franchise in many markets is the ability to co-brand Buffalo’s locations with the Fatburger name. While Buffalo’s focuses heavily on tasty wings, sauces and southwest flavors, Fatburger appeals to the gourmet burger crowd. If desired, franchisees can operate co-branded locations that use the same amount of square feet as a casual restaurant. This may allow them to reach a wider customer base and appeal to people of different ages and lifestyles, especially as Fatburger’s popularity grows around the country.

Buffalo’s offers a number of different franchise opportunities, giving interested owners significant freedom to adapt to local market conditions. For example, franchisees can open specialty venues in shopping malls, universities and airports, choose full-service restaurants or focus on drive-thru locations. Depending on the financial resources and time commitment available, potential owners can even opt for multi-unit franchises or total area development.

The Buffalo’s brand assists franchisees with virtually every aspect of opening a new restaurant, including support for real estate, architecture and design, equipment selection and procurement. Marketing consultations and operational help are ongoing, both before and after opening day. All of these resources are provided by dedicated Buffalo’s teams specifically designed to assist franchisees.

Owners are not required to purchase products from Buffalo’s directly, and the franchisor does not markup equipment costs either. In other words, the brand obtains profits via royalty fees and franchise fees, not selling items to franchisees. At the same time, thanks to nationwide negotiated prices with approved suppliers, Buffalo’s franchisees have access to better product pricing if desired.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate to open a Buffalo’s franchise has an attractive business portfolio, strong financial resources and an entrepreneurial spirit. Before granting a franchise agreement, the brand looks at the credit rating, financial history and professional references of prospective franchisees. Candidates need a minimum net worth of $1.5 million and $500,000 in liquid assets. In addition, they must be prepared to cover at least 25% of restaurant development costs out of pocket, only financing the remaining 75% through a third-party lender.

Business management experience and professional qualities are also required. Owners should have a reputation for being excellent team leaders with a friendly personality and great work ethic. All candidates need to show passion for the Buffalo’s brand and a desire to go above and beyond to drive growth.

While it’s not expressly required, potential franchisees who want to open a Buffalo’s restaurant in a new development area are heavily encouraged to open multiple units. This factor may decide whether an application is approved or not.