Buffalo Wild Wings Founders Inducted Into Buffalo Wing Hall of Flame!

Buffalo natives and the originators of BUFFALO WILD WINGS, Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery, have been named to the BUFFALO WING HALL OF FLAME.

Their 2007 induction coincides with the 25th Anniversary of BUFFALO WILD WINGS, which began in 1982 as Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck, commonly referred to back then as BW3.

It was a modest beginning for these life-long friends, who were recent transplants to Kent, Ohio at the time. Craving their beloved "Buffalo Wings" from back home, they decided to start their own restaurant near Ohio State University.

By 1991, the founders developed a plan to franchise their concept. Then, in November of 2003, BUFFALO WILD WINGS became a publicly held company and began trading on NASDAQ. Now, there are 450 restaurants bearing the name, including 147 company-owned stores and another 303 operated by franchisees.

By taking "Buffalo Wings" to Wall Street, they helped to insure that what last year's BUFFALO WING HALL OF FLAME inductees Frank and Theresa Bellissimo began in 1964 at Buffalo's Anchor Bar would become a staple on restaurant menus worldwide.

The official inductions of Scott Lowery and his partner Jim Disbrow, who will be honored posthumously, will take place during preview festivities for the 2007 NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL, being held at Buffalo's Dunn Tire Park on Labor Day Weekend, September 1st and 2nd.

Stan Friedman, Chairman of the BUFFALO WING HALL OF FLAME, says this year's choices were a "no brainer", adding "Last year we honored the Bellissimos and the Anchor Bar, where all of this began. This year we honor Scott Lowery and Jim Disbrow, for where Buffalo Wild Wings has taken it".

For his part, the creator of the BUFFALO WING HALL OF FLAME, as well as the NATIONAL BUFFALO WING FESTIVAL, Drew Cerza, adds "This induction is perfect. Buffalo Wild Wings set the foundation for every Buffalo Wing franchise in the country, for years to come. This is a tribute from the citizens of Buffalo, as well as the entire Buffalo Wing community worldwide".

In receiving the honor, Scott Lowery, speaking on behalf of himself and his late co-founder, said "It is an unbelievable honor to be selected into the BUFFALO WING HALL OF FLAME. We started the restaurant under-capitalized and without experience. But, with lots of perseverance, we survived and built a foundation which took BUFFALO WILD WINGS to Wall Street. Our passion was to promote the fun camaraderie and foods of Buffalo, New York, that we enjoyed while living there".