Hot-wing enthusiasts endure overnight cold

Chris Kaecker of Carson City came in from the cold Monday and got his wings.

Kaecker, 27, camped out first in line for two nights outside Buffalo Wild Wings in preparation for a grand opening gala in which the first 100 in line were promised wings weekly for a year. The promotional event provides the winners six wings each week at the sports and entertainment eatery and bar, at 3815 S. Carson St., where the crowd was brought in from the cold at 11 a.m.

“I’ve been here since Saturday night,” said Kaecker, adding he showed up that weekend evening at 9 p.m., making his wait 38 hours. Behind him and just a couple of hours less chilled were Dana Judd, 51, and Michael Hayes, 24, both Carson City residents as well.

The trio said even though it got cold overnight, fire pits, a propane heater and televisions for sports entertainment outside made it a party atmosphere as they camped out in the parking lot. Kaecker said one night the mercury dipped to 22 degrees. The three were asked the obvious and likely unnecessary question: Any libations?

“Oh, yeah,” Judd replied. “Absolutely.”

By the time the Monday morning opening rolled around, there was a large crowd lined up and waiting. Doors opened after a ribbon-cutting ceremony at which Supervisor Karen Abowd thanked the owners/operators of the Screamin’ Hot Concepts franchise on hand. It is their 11th outlet. Another in Nevada opened earlier in Sparks.

“Thank you so much for investing in Carson City,” Abowd said to Kurtis Montgomery, Screamin’ Hot Concepts president of operations, and Ralph Baker, general manager of Carson City’s newest sports bar. Baker cut the ribbon with mega-scissors supplied by the chamber.

Local elected officials on hand, along with Abowd, were Supervisor Jim Shirk and Assemblyman Pete Livermore of Carson City, a former supervisor. They joined others from both the public and private sectors, among them chamber leaders Gil Yanuck, current chairman, Stan Jones, immediate past chairman, and Ronni Hannaman, executive director.

Livermore, who was in the A&W Root Beer outlet business in Carson City, called the bar and grill good for the community.

“I don’t think I’ve seen this parking lot this full in a long time,” he said, surveying the lot shared with and just southwest of Raley’s on the east side of South Carson street.

Hannaman was happy and excited, she said, “that there is another national company that has chosen Carson City.”

Screamin’ Hot Concepts, doing business as Buffalo Wild Wings, is a franchise linked with the nationwide Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. There are nearly 1,000 Buffalo Wild Wings outlets, which posted more than $1.2 billion in sales, and the company stock trades on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol BWLD. The share price closed Monday at $149.46, down 36 cents.

Along with two Nevada outlets, the Screamin’ Hot Concepts franchise has five locations in Idaho, one in Wyoming and three in Florida. In Carson City it is employing about 130, some full and some part time.