Buffalo Wild Wings Vs Wingstop — What’s The Difference?
There are many great debates when it comes to food, like whether pineapple belongs on pizza, or whether Coke is better than Pepsi. These are likely never going to be answered definitively, but they are still fun to debate!
Another area of contention is between Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop, two of the big names when it comes to all things wings!
What are the differences between Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop? Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop are two completely different chain restaurants, but what they do have in common is that they focus on serving delicious chicken wings. The differences come in with the variety of chicken wings they offer, other menu items, and just the overall experience.
If you are planning a meal out and want to enjoy the best chicken wings around, then read on to find out more about Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop to work out which would be the better option for you!
Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings, also known as B-Dubs, is an American restaurant/sports bar that specializes in serving chicken wings and other popular meal items.
The restaurant is known as the ideal place to watch a sports game, enjoy a cold drink, and have some tasty wings and sauces!
Founded in 1982, Buffalo Wild Wings now has over 1,200 locations across all 50 states and is one of the most popular places to pick up some chicken wings, whether sitting in the restaurant or for takeout.
Wingstop
Wingstop is a chain restaurant in America with an aviation theme, specializing in chicken wings and everything that comes with them!
The first Wingstop restaurant opened up in 1994 in Garland, and there are now over 900 locations across the USA. All Wingstop locations are decorated with a pre-jet aviation theme, which really ties the whole experience together.
Wingstop is a great place to sit back and enjoy some wings and sides, but it also offers takeaway options.
Comparison — Wing Flavors
When you visit a restaurant that specializes in chicken wings, one of the most important things to consider is the flavor options that they offer!
Yes, the quality and juiciness of the chicken wings are a huge factor in how enjoyable they are, but chicken wings are nothing without a good coating and sauce.
Both Wingstop and Buffalo Wild Wings are known for their great chicken wing flavors, so we have listed them below for you to compare yourself — maybe you’ll even find a new favorite!
Buffalo Wild Wings Flavors
Buffalo Wild Wings has quite a large amount of sauces and flavors to choose from, and they are constantly experimenting with new flavors and coming up with wicked combinations.
Here are the Buffalo Wild Wing flavors!
Sweet BBQ
Sweet BBQ is a traditional BBQ sauce with the perfect balance of sweetness.
Teriyaki
Teriyaki is full-flavored and full-bodied and is a substantially savory sauce.
Bourbon Honey Mustard
Enjoy this limited edition sauce’s bourbon flavors mixed in with the signature sweetness from the honey and the tanginess from the mustard.
Mild
Mild is a classic wing sauce with high flavor, but low heat.
Parmesan Garlic
This is a creamy and rich parmesan sauce with Italian herbs and roasted garlic.
Honey BBQ
Honey BBQ is a sweet, sassy sauce that is full of sweet and savory flavors.
Medium
Medium is a balanced classic wing sauce that is comfortably hot and savory.
Spicy Garlic
This sauce is both spicy and garlicky — what more could you ask for?
Asian Zing
This chili pepper sauce is mixed with soy and ginger, for a sweet and hot sauce.
Caribbean Jerk
An exciting sauce made with red peppers and island spices.
Hot BBQ
The classic BBQ sauce scaled up with some heat — sadly discontinued.
Thai Curry
Thai Curry is bold with a bite, made with sweet chilies, spices, coconut, and curry.
Hot
Hot is a classic wing sauce focused on heat and memorable flavor.
Mango Habanero
Enjoy the sweet flavors of mango along with burning habanero heat.
Wild
Wild is a classic wing sauce, big on flavor with blistering heat.
Reformulated Blazin
The hottest sauce available — made with the heat of a ghost pepper!
Wingstop Flavors
Wingstop might not have as many flavors as Buffalo Wild Wings, but they still have a great selection to choose from.
Here are the Wingstop flavors!
Original
Original is the first sauce made by Wingstop — it has the perfect balance of heat and tang.
Spicy Korean
Spicy Korean is a mix of ginger, garlic, sriracha, and crushed red pepper to give the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
Atomic
Atomic is the hottest option on the menu, full of flavor and fire.
Hawaiian
Hawaiian sauce is a sweet and tangy blend of Asian flavors and island citrus.
Mango Habanero
Mango Habanero is sweet and hot, and then with more flavor to boot.
Hickory Smoked BBQ
This is bold, sweet, smoky, and rich — a great BBQ sauce worth trying.
Comparison — Dry Rub Flavors
There’s more than one way to enjoy chicken wings. Both Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop offer dry rub flavors on top of their saucy chicken wing flavors too — still lots of flavors, just presented differently.
Buffalo Wild Wings Dry Rub Flavors
Here are the different dry rub flavors that Buffalo Wild Wings has to choose from!
Salt And Vinegar
This simple blend of classic flavors creates a tangy, zesty dry rub.
Lemon Pepper
A fan-favorite blend of citrusy lemon and cracked black pepper.
Chipotle BBQ
This is a flavorful blend of fire-roasted chipotle pepper with added BBQ flavors.
Buffalo
A perfect mix of buttery flavor and classic heat.
Desert Heat
A fiery dry rub with a combination of peppers with a sweet touch of smoke.
Wingstop Dry Rub Flavors
Here are the different dry rub flavors that Wingstop has to choose from!
Louisiana Rub
Louisiana Rub is a crispy dry spice rub with a hint of Cajun heat.
Lemon Pepper
Lemon Pepper is Wingstop’s most popular dry rub, with zesty lemon and the heat from cracked black pepper.
Garlic Parmesan
Buttery parmesan with savory garlic — simple yet potent.
Brazilian Citrus Pepper
A bold rub bursting with piri piri peppers and zesty citrus flavors.
Comparison — Types Of Wings
You might be heading over to Buffalo Wild Wings or Wingstop for the obvious serving of chicken wings, but both restaurants sell various types of wings that are worth a try!
Buffalo Wild Wings
Buffalo Wild Wings has a few different wing options to choose from, one of which isn’t even chicken!
The most popular would be traditional chicken wings, which can be coated in a sauce or dry rub of your choice, or you could opt for the easy-eating boneless wings.
But if you want a vegetarian option, why not try their cauliflower wings? These can be made using the same sauces and rubs as the traditional and boneless chicken wings!
Wingstop
Wingstop offers a similar variety of wings. They have traditional wings that come in different quantities to suit how hungry you might be, or you could opt for boneless wings or chicken tenders.
The traditional wings, boneless wings, and chicken tenders are all available in the different sauces and dry rubs on offer.
Comparison — Other Menu Items
Whether you want more than just wings, or the person you’re going for a meal with wants to try something different, it does help to have some variety on the menu to choose from!
While Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop focus mainly on chicken wings, they do have some other great menu items available as well.
Buffalo Wild Wings Menu Items
Buffalo Wild Wings definitely comes out on top when it comes to the variety of menu items for patrons to choose from!
The menu features classic chicken wings, boneless chicken wings, and cauliflower bites, but also a wide variety of other options. Let’s take a look!
Bird Dawgs
Bird Dawgs are a twist on the traditional hot dog, made with chicken tenders and loaded with various toppings and sauces.
Appetizers
There is a range of appetizers to choose from at Buffalo Wild Wings:
- Asian Zing Cauliflower Wings
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Fried Pickles
- Everything Pretzel Knots
- House Sampler
- Chips & Guacamole
- Chips & Dip Trio
- Ultimate Nachos
- Cheddar Cheese Curds
- Hatch Queso
- Potato Wedges
- Dirty Dubs Tots
- Buffalo Chicken Tots
- Tots
Boneless Bar Pizzas
These boneless bar pizzas are great for sharing and come in two flavors, buffalo and honey BBQ.
Burgers
There is a range of different burgers to choose from, all double-beef, plus the vegetarian option of a black bean burger.
Sandwiches
Enjoy a chicken sandwich with a variety of sauces and toppings.
Wraps And Tacos
If you are looking for something lighter, there is a range of wraps and tacos to choose from on the menu, either chicken or brisket.
Greens
For a healthier option, there are a few different salads to choose from on the menu.
Kids‘ Menu
For a family night out, there is a great kids’ menu to choose from, featuring kid-approved meals.
Side Sauces
Who can eat wings (or fries) without a good side sauce? Here’s what Buffalo Wild Wings has available:
Wingstop Menu Items
Wingstop has a few different menu options to choose from to suit different diets and tastes!
Big Flavor Burgers
The Big Flavor Burgers are made with crispy chicken tenders, cooked in any of the 10 signature flavors. Topped with slaw, pickles, and ranch.
Loaded Fries
Loaded fries are perfect to serve with chicken wings! Choose between cheese fries served with a cheese sauce, or buffalo ranch fries served with original hot sauce.
Churros
To finish off your meal, you can order a batch of churros (either Oreo or Lotus Biscoff) with Sweet Milk or Caramel dipping sauces.
Dips
Everyone loves a good dip! Here’s what Wingstop has to offer:
- Regular Ranch
- Regular Blue Cheese
- Regular Honey Mustard
Which Restaurant Has Better Flavors?
There isn’t a clear winner as to which wing restaurant has the better flavors because it really comes down to personal preference.
Buffalo Wild Wings has more flavors on offer, so it caters to more tastes and you get to try out something new every time you visit. If variety is your thing, then Buffalo Wild Wings should definitely be the chicken wing restaurant you visit.
Wingstop does have a wide range of flavors too, and there are enough flavors to suit different tastes and cravings, so it is definitely still worth the try too.
Most Popular Flavors At Each Restaurant
If you are visiting Buffalo Wild Wings or Wingstop for the first time, and are slightly overwhelmed by the variety of flavors on offer, you might be looking for a little bit of help on what to order.
Here are the most popular flavor options at each restaurant!
Buffalo Wild Wings
At Buffalo Wild Wings, the most popular flavors on offer are Mango Habanero, Chipotle BBQ, Buffalo BBQ, and Parmesan Garlic. These are either mild, medium, or hot heat, and should suit just about every taste and preference!
Wingstop
Wingstop’s most popular flavor is definitely the Garlic Parmesan, as it has the perfect blend of buttery cheese and spicy garlic.
For a kick of heat, the Atomic comes out on top, but if you want something milder, the Lemon Black Pepper rub is always great to try too.
Which Is The Better Chicken Wing Restaurant?
When you ask a group of people whether Buffalo Wild Wings or Wingstop is their favorite place to get great chicken wings, you will likely get a range of different answers.
Both are great places to load up on wings, and both have unique benefits that make them favorites for many.
When it comes to Buffalo Wild Wings, you get to enjoy a really cool hangout spot where you can sit back with chicken wings, a cold beer, and your friends to watch the latest sports match.
It is known for its wide range of flavors, from mild to crazy hot, and its full and varied menu.
Wingstop might have fewer flavors and dips, but they do still have an extensive range and each one is as delicious as the last, from the creamy parmesan to the ridiculously hot Atomic.
It is a great place to visit with family or friends for a relaxed meal, and great quality chicken wings.
Our advice is to find the one that is closest to your location and try them both out!
Final Thoughts
There is no denying that you will not go wrong trying out either Buffalo Wild Wings or Wingstop, as both are focused on making the best chicken wings around, and it shows!
The restaurant you do choose to visit will depend on a few things.
If you are wanting somewhere to enjoy good food and drinks with friends and watch the game, then Buffalo Wild Wings is a great option.
Buffalo Wild Wings should be your choice if you are wanting to explore a wide range of different chicken wing flavors too.
If you want something more family-friendly and traditional, then Wingstop should be your choice of venue, with classic flavors and a few extras, as well as some great kid’s meals to enjoy.
Wingstop also has some really great fries that everyone will love, and great decor to enjoy as well.
Related Questions
Now that we’ve learned all about Buffalo Wild Wings and Wingstop, here are some additional questions we thought you might have.
Does Buffalo Wild Wings use frozen chicken wings?
Buffalo Wild Wings are not frozen — each batch is prepared fresh, along with the dry rub or the sauce of choice, cooked on demand.
Does Wingstop use frozen chicken wings?
Wingstop does not use frozen chicken wings, and instead uses fresh wings for every batch cooked.
Are Wingstop fries good?
Wingstop fries are considered to be some of the best around, and this is because of the Wingstop Fry Seasoning — this is a flavorful blend of spices, along with some sugar, that gives the fries a salty, smoky, sweet flavor!
