Buffalo Wild Wings, affectionately referred to as B-Dubs or BW3, is a very popular restaurant and bar that started in Columbus, Ohio as Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck. B-Dubs has both corporate owned stores and franchise owned locations, and now can be found in just about any city in the United States. Like me, many adults from Columbus have fond memories of BW3 as a place to drink, party, watch sports, and eat wings. I remember the old beer glasses that seemed very fragile, so you could almost count on someone in the bar breaking one during a visit. While 20 cent wing Tuesdays may be a thing of the past, and menu has grown considerably, Buffalo Wild Wings is still a great place for beer and wings.
So, how is Buffalo Wild Wings for kids?
While I am quite certain that I would not have considered taking my toddler to the BW3 of old, quite a few years ago Buffalo Wild Wings seemed to transition from a beer and wing joint to more kid friendly restaurant and bar. In fact, my daughter was only one year old when I took her to the B-Dubs for the first time at the Gahanna, Ohio location. Now that she is almost three years old, she seems to enjoy going to our local Buffalo Wild Wings locations to get a cheeseburger and fries.
Our most recent trips to Buffalo Wild Wings have been to the Grandview, Ohio location. On one visit to the Grandview location in December Santa Claus was there taking pictures, putting kids on his lap, asking what they want for Christmas, and giving small stuffed toys to the children.
Child Friendly Seating
For seating B-Dubs generally have a bar section with high-top seating and a sit down section. I have had my daughter in both sections, and base that decision on the crowd, day, time, and if any televised sporting events or bar specific events are happening that cause the bar to be crowded. Usually a high-chair or booster seat is offered when seated in the sit down dining section.
Entertainment
The obvious entertainment at Buffalo Wild Wings is the televisions that cover much of the walls. While children may often be drawn to watch the televisions, it is usually sporting events or sport commentary that is displayed, and not cartoons. This means that you should certainly not come in with the expectation that you child will remain entertained by what is on the screens for very long, if at all. The good news is that they generally bring out crayons and a coloring paper for the kids to draw on while waiting for their food to arrive.
Kids Menu at Buffalo Wild Wings
The Buffalo Wild Wings children’s menu ranges from $5.29 – $6.29 and includes a low-fat milk and natural-cut French Fries. The Kids menu offers several items including Traditional or Boneless wings, Crispy Tenders, Naked Tenders® , Mac and Cheese, Cheeseburger, or Mini Corn Dogs. The Buffalo Wild Wings website also has the current Kids Menu online.
Kid Friendly Environment
Most times that I have been to Buffalo Wild Wings with my daughter it has not been really crowded. This includes taking her there when some local games have been on. Of course, this has usually been on weekday evenings. The wait staff and the clientele have always been very respectful and the environment friendly. That said, since B-Dubs is also a popular sports bar, I would certainly take into consideration what “big games” may be on when I consider taking my child there, and be conscious that it may not be as good of an experience in a standing room only environment. Additionally, even though most things at Buffalo Wild Wings are similar or identical from one location to another, I would certainly take into consideration that different locations may draw different crowds.