A drive-thru only Buffalo Wild Wings? One is planned in Bradenton
Buffalo Wild Wings, known for its massive dining rooms and dozens of large-screen TVs tuned to sporting events, has been rolling out more express to-go stops during the pandemic.
Recently, developers filed paperwork with Manatee County Building Services to bring a 1,400-square-foot Buffalo Wild Wings Express Drive-Thru Only to 5425 14th St. W.
The same request also seeks approval to construct a 2,300-square-foot Del Taco Quick Service Restaurant with drive-thru at the same address, which is now home to Georgia Carpet And Floors.
With the arrival of COVID-19, restaurant operators have had to cope with dining room closures, seating limits, staffing challenges, stepped-up sanitation protocols, and more customer demand for delivery, as well as contactless service.
The two new restaurants would be located on a 1.35-acre site and have 40 parking spaces and a single driveway access to 14th Street West.
There are two Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in Manatee County: 4120 14th St. W., and 5235 University Parkway.
But Del Taco is new to the area.
Last May, the Bradenton Herald reported that California-based Del Taco had signed a seven-unit development deal with FreshMex FL LLC to bring new restaurants to Florida’s west coast, primarily in the Tampa metro market and Bradenton-Sarasota. At that time, the locations had either not been determined or announced.
There are now four Del Taco restaurants in Florida, two of them in Orlando and one each in Melbourne and Kissimmee.
Del Taco’s design often includes tech-savvy options like third-party pick-up stations and double drive-thru lanes with a dedicated lane for mobile orders and delivery pick-ups.
Founded in 1964, Del Taco is nation’s second largest Mexican quick service restaurant, serving more than three million guests each week. Del Taco has about 600 restaurants across 16 states.
Buffalo Wild Wings was founded in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio. Today, there are about 1,200 B-Dubs locations in the United States. The company has restaurants in nine countries.
Buffalo Wild Wings is one of the holdings of Inspire Brands, based in Sandy Springs, Ga., north of Atlanta.
Inspire Brands was founded following Arby’s acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings and Rusty Taco. Other Inspire Brands include Baskin Robbins, Dunkin’, Jimmy Johns Sandwiches, and Sonic Drive-In restaurants.
Inspire now counts nearly 32,000 restaurant locations.
This story was originally published January 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
