Popular sports bar chain closes California stores before NFL season

Two California sports bars have earned their wings.

The NFL season is just around the corner, but Californians will have fewer places to watch their favorite teams this year.

Sports bar giant Buffalo Wild Wings has closed two locations in California in 2026. Fast Company reported that the chain has closed one location on Saratoga Avenue in San Jose and another on East Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach.

The closures are part of a larger trend for the company, which has also closed locations in Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, Kansas, Virginia, and New York this year.

The company’s Ann Arbor Michigan location closed in May after more than 20 years in business. The store’s manager pointed to customers having less money to dine out as one factor in the closure.

“Times are hard right now,” manager Paul Creely told MLive. “We understand that people don’t have as much money to come out and eat and it’s just the nature of the beast.”

But Buffalo Wild Wings remains the largest sports bar chain in the U.S. with over 1,400 locations.

“Despite the shuttered locations, there’s no indication Buffalo Wild Wings is retreating from these markets entirely,” FastCompany said in their report.

“Instead, the pattern suggests a broader recalibration: the company shedding underperforming restaurants while leaning further into takeout-friendly formats and franchising as it repositions its footprint for the long term.”

Fans can still visit Buffalo Wild Wing’s many California locations, including 4 in the city of Los Angeles alone.

In August, the chain announced a new limited-time “throwback” menu featuring fan favorite items from the 2000s. The offerings include nostalgic bites like mini corn dogs, buffalo chips, garlic mushrooms, and the returning Hot BBQ Sauce.

The throwback menu launched on Aug. 19 and will run through Nov. 9.

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