It’s arguably one of the most popular restaurants in Bridgeport and come Sunday night Buffalo Wild Wings – after nearly 10 years in operation –will be closing. For those dreadful of the closure, there’s no need to worry as it’s only temporary.

 

According to General Manager Jay Mike, the dining establishment will be doing several hundreds of thousands of dollars in renovations. Of that total, $350,000 will be for exterior work. The total gets much higher when interior work - including dozens of new televisions of rather large size and other new amenities - are added to the mix.

 

“When it’s complete is doing to be totally different. It’s going to look different a bit on the outside and totally different on the inside; practically brand new,” said Mike, who has been with the business since it opened its doors on Sept. 30, 2007. “It’s going to have new televisions and be bigger, brighter and better.”

 

To allow for that process to start, the business will be closing on Sunday – July 31 – for all part of the operation will be at 9 p.m. The dining room will close at 8 p.m. to allow for items to be removed and the bar area will close at 9 p.m. with the kitchen closing at 8:30 p.m. to serve anyone who remains at the bar area until the 9 p.m. closure.

 

The project will be done quickly. Mike said the plan is to re-open on August 12, a Friday, at 10 a.m. and close at 3 a.m. The same hours will be done Saturday and then business will be back to normal on the operation front.

 

The business, which is often packed and frequently has a minimal wait, will benefit from the work. Mike said the work will take capacity from 260 seats to 323.

 

The bulk of the new seating will come from an exterior project. Mike said the existing outdoor patio will be enclosed and will have garage doors installed so that it will allow for the patio feeling during warm weather months and can be enclosed for year-round use.

 

“That will also be used as a banquet room,” said Mike.

 

For those that like the patio, there’s no need to worry. Mike said the patio will be extended to the end of the building. That patio will only be open during good weather periods as the current patio is being utilized.

 

“We plan to continue to have strong, quality service once this renovation is complete,” he said.

 

Buffalo Wild Wings location in Bridgeport has frequently been ranked regionally as one of the top franchises in the corporation. In fact, Mike said it has been ranked number one on more than one occasion on a regional basis.

 

Bridgeport Community Development Director Randy Spellman said the business has had tremendous success. He said not only does it serve the local community, but also has become a mini-destination.

 

“It’s generally filled with people and it’s really been interesting to see how it’s tied in with games at the (Bridgeport) Recreation Complex,” said Spellman. “During most of the tournaments you’ll hear someone talking about heading there after the game. That’s part of how everything works well with how things are set up in that area.”

 

Spellman added that the six-figure investment is another positive sign for the business and the city.

 

“This type of project reinforces their presence and importance at Charles Pointe as well as how well they’re doing commercially and it also reinforces their commitment to Bridgeport and the entire region,” said Spellman.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows General Manager Jay Mike, while two of the restaurant's trademarks are on display and will return in August. Bottom photo shows some of the exterior concrete work that has taken place.