Buffalo Wild Wings is coming back to Bartlesville
Andy Dossett | The Wiley Post
Oct 6, 2026
Bartlesville wing fans, break out the ranch — or blue cheese, if you're willing to start that argument.
Well, maybe just not yet; after all, dressing does have an expiration date.
Buffalo Wild Wings is planning a return to Bartlesville, this time with a new operator, a new location and a standalone restaurant along Nowata Road.
The Bartlesville City Council voted Tuesday night to approve up to $122,907 in development assistance for Howard Companies, which plans to build the restaurant on property just west of Armstrong Bank. The restaurant's exact address is still listed as TBD — as they say, if you build it, mail will come.
Chris Batchelder, president of the Bartlesville Development Authority, speaks to the Bartlesville City Council about plans for a new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on Oct. 4, 2026.
Andy Dossett | The Wiley Post
"It's good to see them back," Mayor Jim Curd said during the meeting, noting the popularity of the previous Buffalo Wild Wings at Washington Park Mall. "They were popular for a time at the mall, but the mall was not very popular."
Chris Batchelder, president of the Bartlesville Development Authority, said Buffalo Wild Wings has remained one of the national brands residents most frequently request.
"We're excited to present tonight one of our most commonly requested national brands," Batchelder told the council.
Same wings, different operator
While Buffalo Wild Wings, or affectionately known as B-dubs, has been in Bartlesville before, Batchelder stressed that the new restaurant would have different ownership.
A single-location franchisee operated the former mall restaurant. Howard Companies, meanwhile, operates 16 Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in Oklahoma, seven in Arkansas and one in Missouri, with five additional restaurants under contract to open this year.
Batchelder said the previous franchise was "really trying to make it work at the worst possible time" at Washington Park Mall.
The new restaurant would also ditch the mall setup for a freestanding building. Howard Companies is under contract to purchase the proposed property, according to Batchelder, and discussions are underway about providing access from U.S. Highway 75 through property near Armstrong Bank.
City incentive tied to opening
The $122,907 incentive won't be handed over upfront.
Howard Companies must complete the restaurant, receive a certificate of occupancy, and open for business within 24 months to receive the money.
"We don't want to just put an incentive out there and have them, you know, take their sweet time," Batchelder said.
The BDA calculated the incentive using projected sales of about $3.6 million annually, based on Howard Companies' lowest-performing Buffalo Wild Wings location over the past three years. The authority then discounted those sales by 80% under its "substitution" formula, accounting for spending that would likely shift from existing Bartlesville businesses rather than represent entirely new spending.
The council unanimously approved the appropriation.
No opening date has been announced, but after years without Buffalo Wild Wings in Bartlesville, the city council unanimously approved offering an incentive to bring them back.
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