Buffalo Wings & Rings

Buffalo Wings & Rings is an American sports restaurant franchise founded in Cincinnati in 1984. The brand is built around Buffalo-style chicken wings and a broader casual-dining menu that includes burgers, salads, sandwiches, onion rings, and other bar-and-grill items. Its restaurants are designed to combine full-service dining with a sports-viewing environment, making the chain relevant both to families seeking casual meals and to sports fans looking for a place to watch games. The business originated as a Cincinnati restaurant concept and subsequently developed into a franchised chain. Its identity is closely associated with wings served in multiple sauce and flavor formats, but the menu is broader than wings alone. Burgers, sandwiches, salads, and side dishes help the restaurants serve groups with different preferences and support visits outside major sporting events. The “Rings” element of the name refers to onion rings and reinforces the brand’s casual American restaurant positioning. A major ownership and management transition occurred in 2005, when a management group led by Philip Schram, Nader Masadeh, and Haytham David purchased the company. The three executives each assumed senior responsibilities, helping guide the chain’s subsequent expansion and organizational development. Under this leadership structure, Buffalo Wings & Rings pursued growth in both the United States and international markets, particularly in the Middle East and Europe. The chain received industry recognition during its expansion period. Restaurant Business magazine placed it first on its 2008 Future 50 list of growing restaurant chains. The company later received visibility through awards and media appearances, including a Best of Fest award at the 2015 Chicago WingFest and an appearance by chief executive Nader Masadeh on the seventh-season premiere of CBS’s Undercover Boss in December 2015. The program showed the chief executive working alongside restaurant employees in several operating roles and locations. By the period described in the available reference material, the system had approximately 80 units across the United States, the Middle East, and Europe. Entrepreneur ranked the chain twelfth in its full-service restaurant category in 2018. These milestones reflect a brand positioned between a sports bar and a family-friendly casual restaurant, with an emphasis on recognizable American comfort food, televised sports, and franchise-based geographic expansion. Specific current unit counts, ownership details, and market totals are not established in the supplied sources.

Buffalo Wings & Rings began in Cincinnati in 1984 as a restaurant concept focused on wings and casual American dining. The concept developed around the social appeal of sports restaurants: customers could share wings and other familiar foods while watching televised sporting events in a group setting. Although wings became the brand’s defining product, the menu also incorporated burgers, salads, sandwiches, onion rings, and related casual-dining items, allowing the restaurants to appeal to families and mixed groups rather than only to bar customers. The company entered a significant new phase in 2005, when a management group led by Philip Schram, Nader Masadeh, and Haytham David acquired the business. Each member of the group assumed a senior leadership role. Their involvement shaped the chain’s later development, including its franchise growth and expansion beyond its original Cincinnati base. Masadeh subsequently became chief executive officer, Schram took responsibility for development, and David led the international business. The chain’s growth received external recognition in 2008, when Restaurant Business magazine named it number one on the publication’s Future 50 list of growing chains. This recognition reflected the company’s expansion trajectory at a time when restaurant franchising and specialized casual concepts were competing for broader regional and national reach. Buffalo Wings & Rings also expanded internationally. The available reference material describes units in the United States, the Middle East, and Europe, and reports a system of approximately 80 locations during the period covered. International development extended the American sports-restaurant format into markets where U.S.-style wings, burgers, televised sports, and group dining could serve as a differentiated casual-food proposition. The brand gained additional public exposure in 2015. It received a Best of Fest award at the sixteenth annual Chicago WingFest, an event focused on chicken wings. In the same year, Nader Masadeh appeared on the seventh-season premiere of CBS’s Undercover Boss. During the program, he worked undercover alongside employees, including washing dishes in Cincinnati, waiting tables in Chicago, and preparing meals in Bardstown, Kentucky. The appearance presented the company through the operational experiences of front-line restaurant staff. In 2018, Entrepreneur magazine ranked Buffalo Wings & Rings twelfth in its full-service restaurant category. The recognition complemented the earlier growth award and reinforced the company’s standing as a franchised casual-dining brand. The available materials do not establish a current unit count, current ownership structure, or any later corporate transactions. On the documented record, the brand remains an active sports-restaurant franchise with a presence in the United States and selected international markets.

• 2018

  Entrepreneur category ranking

  [1]Wings & Ringsen.wikipedia.org

  Entrepreneur magazine ranked Buffalo Wings & Rings twelfth in its full-service restaurant category.

• 2015

  Chicago WingFest award

  [1]Wings & Ringsen.wikipedia.org

  The brand received a Best of Fest award at the sixteenth annual Chicago WingFest.

• 2015

  Undercover Boss appearance

  [1]Wings & Ringsen.wikipedia.org

  CEO Nader Masadeh appeared on the seventh-season premiere of CBS's Undercover Boss and worked in several restaurant operating roles.

• 2008

  Future 50 recognition

  [1]Wings & Ringsen.wikipedia.org

  Restaurant Business magazine ranked the chain first on its Future 50 list of growing restaurant chains.

• 2005

  Management-led acquisition

  [1]Wings & Ringsen.wikipedia.org

  A management group led by Philip Schram, Nader Masadeh, and Haytham David purchased the company and assumed senior management roles.

• 1984

  Brand founded in Cincinnati

  [1]Wings & Ringsen.wikipedia.org

  Buffalo Wings & Rings was established in Cincinnati, Ohio, as a casual restaurant concept centered on wings and American comfort food.

A mid-market, full-service casual restaurant and sports-bar concept aimed at families, groups, and sports fans, with Buffalo-style wings as its signature product and a broader American comfort-food menu.

• Chicken wings · 1984

  Buffalo Wings

  Buffalo-style chicken wings are the brand’s signature offering and the central product around which its sports-restaurant identity is organized. Wings are intended for sharing and are supported by a casual dining environment built around game viewing and group occasions.

• American casual dining

  Burgers

  Burgers broaden the menu beyond chicken wings and provide a familiar full-service restaurant option for diners who want a substantial individual meal. They fit the chain’s American comfort-food and sports-bar positioning.

• Salads

  Salads

  Salads provide a lighter menu category within the broader casual-dining offer and help accommodate groups with different dining preferences.

• Sandwiches

  Sandwiches

  Sandwiches are part of the chain’s wider American restaurant menu, complementing wings and burgers and giving customers an additional handheld meal option.

• Side dishes · 1984

  Onion Rings

  Onion rings are a representative side dish and are reflected in the “Rings” portion of the brand name. They reinforce the chain’s casual, shareable, sports-restaurant menu.

• 2005

  Management-led purchase of the companyM&A

  Background

  The Cincinnati restaurant chain entered a new ownership and management phase after a group led by Philip Schram, Nader Masadeh, and Haytham David acquired it.

  Action taken

  The acquiring executives took senior leadership positions and subsequently divided responsibilities across development, domestic leadership, and international operations.

  Aftermath

  The transaction preceded the company’s documented growth period, including recognition on Restaurant Business’s 2008 Future 50 list and expansion into international markets.

  Source

1. 1Wings & Ringsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Buffalo Wings & Rings official websitebuffalowingsandrings.com