The official response from Buffalo Wild Wings

Readers of The BBC, this morning I received an e-mail from the owner (franchisee) of Belden-area Buffalo Wild Wings.  I’d like to share it with you, give you my initial thoughts, and then hear what you have to say on the entire ordeal.

First, here’s the e-mail;

I have several thoughts on this, so let’s first publish the rational arguments.  The owner did take the time to apologize in his first letter, and he admitted to mistakes in his second letter.  Having spent time in restaurant management and marketing, this is the first mandatory step, but let’s give him credit for that.  I never felt like I was being handled like “some angry blogger” and ignored entirely.

He also has left an open invitation for us to discus it further, and he left that decision up to me.  I respect that.  I might take him up on that one, but I’ll bet I’d meet him in the Massillon restaurant rather than go into the Belden location.

I feel good about their response on those levels.

I can’t quite put my finger on why I feel unfulfilled in every other point.

I made it clear that I wasn’t out for free food or coupons (that’s usually the root of most restaurant complaints), and I would have given them to my friend Stephanie to use in the Massillon BW3 anyway.

I didn’t really want anybody to get fired over it (not in this economy) because I certainly don’t think crappy management on one night warrants a person’s family to suffer from lack of income.  Is it a pattern of mismanagement?  Then maybe, but I have no proof of that, so nobody needed to get fired.

Did I want to know more about what Bob promises?  He claims they are now “prepared to handle the situation differently”.  I guess deep down, I want to know HOW they are prepared.  But it’s not my restaurant, so it’s not necessarily my business how they change tactics in the future.

I think the root of it all is that the incident happened in the first place.  I feel the way I do because it was a really rotten thing to do, and 5 years from now I am going to remember three things about that night.  1) They changed the channel in the middle of a play, 2) the manager used profanity and told me he didn’t care if I left, and 3) we watched the Buckeyes win at a place with a much better environment, Fox And Hound.  All the other sideshows will be forgotten, no matter what an owner says to me about it.

I do believe him that he’ll make needed changes.  But will I ever experience them for myself, or advise others to go check it out?  Probably not.  I think they blew it the day it happened, and while Bob tried his best to fix things, it wasn’t going to change my opinion on Buffalo Wild Wings.

Eventually, I’ll go back in on a Tuesday because they have kick-ass wings on special those days.  But my blog is looking for the best Buckeye bar in the land.  There’s no way I’ll ever see myself in there during a game again.  Neither should you.

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