Food / drink 🍗 Buffalonians? I learned what "weck" is today.

[SlaveToTheGrind]

Co-worker from MI was talking about BW3 in reference to Buffalo Wild Wings and I asked what the '3' represents. TIL that the restaurant used to be called Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck. Weck sounds good about now. Disappointed to learn the restaurant did not start out in Buffalo but Ohio.

 

[mendelman]

Disappointed to learn the restaurant did not start out in Buffalo but Ohio.

Here's a story to remind us about taking chances when we're young...

A couple who were opening their first restaurant business in the City where I last worked told me about their personal history with BW3.

They were college students in Columbus, OH in the early 1990s and working at BW3 when the company was still in its corporate infancy. They were offered to stay with the business just at the time it was nationally expand and stock was part of their compensation. But being rational and logical engineering undergrad students they stepped away from the opportunity to 'safe' jobs.

When I was working with them in 2014, they told me the story and said their friends that did stay with BW3 then are now retired from the sale of their stock in their mid-40s.

 

[Doohickie]

Here's a story to remind us about taking chances...

A couple who were opening a first restaurant business in the City where I last worked and told me about their personal history with BW3.

They were college students in Columbus, OH in the early 1990s working at BW3 when the company was still in its corporate infancy. They were offered to stay with the business just at the time it was starting to nationally expand and stock was part of their compensation. But being rational and logical engineering undergrad students they, so they stepped away from the opportunity.

When I was working with them in 2014, they told me the story and said their friends that did stay with BW3 then are now retired from the sale of their of their stock in their mid-40s.

Yeah, but all the folks with Bennigans stock options are broke. For every one of those strike it rich stories, there are many others where the company crashed and burned.

 

[mendelman]

Yeah, but all the folks with Bennigans stock options are broke. For every one of those strike it rich stories, there are many others where the company crashed and burned.

But that's likely because they held it too long.

To quote The Gambler.....

 

[akepps]

Lifelong Buffalonian and I don't like weck rolls! Most of the time the rolls are too salty for my tastes. They were literally designed to make people drink more beer so the bars could make more money. I am the lame one who gets her roast beef on a regular roll.

 

[MD Planner]

We have a local bar here owned by Buffalonians. They feature a "Beef on Weck". I'd never heard of it before but certain people raved about it so I tried it a while back. Let's just say I was completely underwhelmed.

 

[Doohickie]

Our local "Buffalo" bar, Buffalo Bros., was started by a guy from Kenmore (Buffalo adjacent). He was working as a chef at a local restaurant and pitched this idea. His boss backed the idea and there are now two locations of Buffalo Bros. One item on the menu is Beef on Weck. Ed sources the Kimmelweck rolls from a local bakery who makes them to his specs.

But that's likely because they held it too long.

To quote The Gambler.....

In the case of Bennigans, yeah. But there are lots of other companies that paid employees little or nothing but paid them with stock and the stock never amounted to anything. I have a few friends that worked for startup companies and all they ended up with was "experience."

 

[Doohickie]

We have a local bar here owned by Buffalonians. They feature a "Beef on Weck". I'd never heard of it before but certain people raved about it so I tried it a while back. Let's just say I was completely underwhelmed.

I can see that. It was the "famous Buffalo food" before chicken wings or Buffalo-style pizza. Not as much mainstream appeal, more of a niche item.

 

[mendelman]

Our local "Buffalo" bar, Buffalo Bros., was started by a guy from Kenmore (Buffalo adjacent). He was working as a chef at a local restaurant and pitched this idea. His boss backed the idea and there are now two locations of Buffalo Bros. One item on the menu is Beef on Weck. Ed sources the Kimmelweck rolls from a local bakery who makes them to his specs.


In the case of Bennigans, yeah. But there are lots of other companies that paid employees little or nothing but paid them with stock and the stock never amounted to anything. I have a few friends that worked for startup companies and all they ended up with was "experience."

But that's the risk one takes to try to make it 'big'. One is only 22 and dependent-less once in life.

At this point, I plan on pulling a Colonel Sanders and make it big after 60.

 

[jsk1983]

I can see that. It was the "famous Buffalo food" before chicken wings or Buffalo-style pizza. Not as much mainstream appeal, more of a niche item.

It's not my favorite food from Buffalo, but it does sound good right now. Just got to be careful with the horseradish...

 

[Doohickie]

Yes, I was going to mention the horseradish. <3

 

[RandomPlanner]

We have a local bar here owned by Buffalonians. They feature a "Beef on Weck". I'd never heard of it before but certain people raved about it so I tried it a while back. Let's just say I was completely underwhelmed.

I like beef on weck but I will admit it's likely for the nostalgia factor more so than the taste.

 

[Dan]

Disappointed to learn the restaurant did not start out in Buffalo but Ohio.

It's been a long term rant of mine that local businesses in Buffalo seldom branch out, leaving out-of-towners to capitalize on the city's assets. It seems like some mom-and-pop restaurant in Columbus will become a national chain a couple of years after first opening, while some immensely popular restaurant in Buffalo might open one or two more local branches, tops, with maybe one oddball location in Sarasota or whereever -- if they do branch out at all. Buffalo's entrepreneurial culture is big about staying small and local.

When Buffalo style pizza finally gets discovered, it'll probably be some new chain outside of the region that takes it national. Something with a name like "Cheektowaga Cup N' Char", probably based out of an office park in Dublin or New Albany, Ohio.

 

[mendelman]

It's been a long term rant of mine that local businesses in Buffalo seldom branch out, leaving out-of-towners to capitalize on the city's assets. It seems like some mom-and-pop restaurant in Columbus will become a national chain a couple of years after first opening, while some immensely popular restaurant in Buffalo might open one or two more local branches, tops, with maybe one oddball location in Sarasota or whereever -- if they do branch out at all. Buffalo's entrepreneurial culture is big about staying small and local.

When Buffalo style pizza finally gets discovered, it'll probably be some new chain outside of the region that takes it national. Something with a name like "Cheektowaga Cup N' Char", probably based out of an office park in Dublin or New Albany, Ohio.

I've been surprised that it took so long for one of the two major Chicagoland italian beef chains to venture from NE IL - Portillos.

When I was living in OH, I knew that a place like Portillo's or Buona Beef would 'print their own money' if they expanded throughout the Great Lakes region.

Edit: well I guess Buona Beef is going 'national'.

 

[Big Owl]

Thanks to this thread, I guess. I now have restaurants that have food items from buffalo popping up on my book of faces feed. Evidently, there are number of them in the region, which makes sense as there seems to be a large number of ex-Buffalonians in the Charlotte area.