Buffalo Wild Wings — Restaurant in Portage

Review: A Disappointing Experience at Buffalo Wild Wings

Buffalo Wild Wings has long been a go-to spot for casual dining, known for its lively atmosphere and variety of wings. However, our recent experience at the location on a Sunday night left much to be desired, tarnishing what should have been an enjoyable evening out.

First Impressions and the ID Policy

We arrived at Buffalo Wild Wings around 9 PM, excited to grab dinner before heading to the movies for a long-awaited date night. Upon entering, we were greeted promptly by the employee behind the counter, who assured us that someone would be with us shortly. After waiting for about five minutes, the host approached to seat us but then hesitated and requested our IDs. My husband had his ID, but I had left mine in the car since I wasn’t paying and, being pregnant, had no intention of drinking.

When I mentioned that we didn’t need bar seating because I wasn’t planning on drinking, the host seemed uncomfortable and insisted that we still needed to show our IDs because, as she explained, "we card after 9 PM." This was surprising, as we’ve never encountered this policy during previous visits.

The Rationale Behind the Rule

While my husband went back to the car to retrieve my ID, I chatted with the host, who explained that the policy is in place to ensure teenagers aren’t coming in after 9 PM, as they can be disruptive. I found this reasoning somewhat baffling, particularly since she would soon see that I’m nearly 30 years old. In the midst of our conversation, a waitress passed by, and the host awkwardly mentioned she was waiting for our IDs, which seemed unnecessary and left the waitress confused.

When my husband returned with my ID, the host confirmed that if I hadn’t had it, we would have been turned away. This was particularly frustrating, as we noticed families with children being seated without any issues. My husband pointed this out, but the host explained that it was "different" for them, adding, "you don’t have to worry about cops or anything," which only added to our confusion. The interaction left us feeling singled out and uneasy.

Inconsistent Treatment and Uncomfortable Observations

Once seated, we noticed that a group of younger-looking individuals were seated nearby without being subjected to the same ID check that we endured. It was hard not to feel that there was an inconsistency in how the policy was applied, especially when we realized that the only visible difference between us and the other group was our skin color. This raised concerns about the fairness and inclusivity of the establishment’s policies.

The Meal Experience

Our waitress was excellent, providing friendly and attentive service throughout our meal. However, the discomfort from our initial interaction with the host lingered, casting a shadow over the entire dining experience. What was meant to be a relaxing evening turned into an unpleasant experience, and the frustration lingered long after we left the restaurant.

Conclusion

In the past, Buffalo Wild Wings has been a reliable choice for a casual meal, but this experience has left us questioning whether it’s worth returning. The ID policy, while understandable in theory, was poorly communicated and inconsistently enforced, leading to an experience that felt unfair and uncomfortable. For us, the extra steps and potential for unequal treatment make it hard to justify a return visit. We hope that Buffalo Wild Wings reconsiders how they implement their policies to ensure all customers feel welcome and valued, regardless of the time of day or the color...

BW² is usually pretty great. Of course, it was father's day, so we were told there would be a 50 minute wait on food. We were seated right away. Our server took our drink order, a tall Miller Lite, a tall Blue Moon, and a chocolate milk for our 5yr old daughter. It took about 10min for our drinks to come and by that time we were ready to order. Server wasn't ready to take our order. By the time she came back to take our order, we were ready for drink refills. It was 2:30, so the Father's Day lunch rush was clearing out. No one was bussing tables. There were servers and hosting people standing around talking. Ok, anyway, we ordered the big sampler. It has loaded nachos, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, and 6 boneless wings with your choice of sauce... I chose medium buffalo.. $13.99. My daughter loves what she calls "chicken bones" so her kids meal was 4 bone in wings, (she wanted honey bbq) fries and drink for $5.99. Then we got a small order of boneless wings (12) with habeñaro mango sauce. (3 notches below the hottest sauce) I'm unsure of the cost of those because there are no prices on the wing menu. Since the tables were clearing out, out appetizer came out quicker than our drink refills. No napkins or utensils. About 5 minutes later our food came out. Still no drink refills, napkins or utensils. Our napkins and drinks came out about another 5min later...forgot to put an orange in the Blue Moon. She said she be right back with utensils and an orange slices. Also the celery and ranch. The celery and ranch came out. Still no orange slice or utensils. Food was delicious....as normal. Heads. Up. They charge for celery/ carrots and ranch or bleu cheese. I thought that was the normal side that comes with wings. There are no napkins at the tables. I had to go to the take out counter and get them myself. They don't have bibs!!! Any place that serves wings or ribs should have bibs! Even so, they didn't have children's bibs, and they are stingy on napkins. Thankfully, being a mom, I had napkins and wipes in my purse. The server brought us the bill and boxes and didn't ask us about desserts. Being father's day, we wanted to get a dessert. Nope! The bill came to $52.45. The appetizer, kids meal, small order of wings, celery and ranch, our 4 beers. Would I go there again? Of course! Just not for father's day. Thankfully the movie theater is directly behind BW² and we got out in enough time to see Aladdin. Thank goodness we paid cash. Who knows how long it would take to get a CC ran through! BTW...I never got an orange slice for my Blue Moon. I guess they are charging for that like they do the...

I’ve only been to the portage bdubs a few times, but usually when I come it’s pretty quality service. However, today that was not the case. My friend and I were seated, and we waited at least 5 minutes to be greeted (if you’d even call it that), which isn’t really a problem but the lobby wasn’t busy. I understand sometimes servers just get busy with tables so it wasn’t a big deal. Our server, Katelyn, barely even poked her head around the corner and asked “what do you want to drink” no introduction or “how was your day?” The only reason I even knew her name is because it was on the receipt. This still wasn’t even a big deal, since I just assumed she was busy. When she came back to give us our drinks she asked if we were ready, which we then asked about the all you can eat deal. She said “you guys know you can’t share right? I’ll charge you for two of them” in a really accusing and rude tone. It was just a question we had and she immediately jumped to that tone. We said that was okay and we would just want a few more minutes with the menu and then asked if we could try the passion fruit nojito and the black cherry limeade. She said sure and quickly walked away. My friend and I were pretty put off by her attitude and wanted to leave and eat somewhere else, but we decided to stay since she put in the drinks already. Low and behold, she didn’t even put in the drinks! She must’ve forgot. We eventually put in our orders and asked about the drinks, to which she didn’t even apologize just walked away. Eventually she gave us one drink but I guess she never put in the other. She also dropped our food off without saying anything and never checked in on us. I never even got a refill on my water which was sitting at the end of the table for half the time. She even dropped the check off at the table without a word. She didn’t even ask if we would like desert or anything else, and didn’t even say goodbye or have a nice day. We didn’t finish the drink we got so we asked for a Togo cup, and she just said sure and dropped it off without a word again. This service was unacceptable and I’m not sure if she was just having a bad day or what, but I don’t think anything can excuse her bad service. The only reason I left a tip was because I know she has to tip out the bussers, seems as if I have more professionalism and common courtesy than she does when...