Popular restaurant launching its first takeout concept in Idaho. Here’s where it will be
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REXBURG – After nearly a decade of working through the ranks at Buffalo Wild Wings, Nathan Fielding is opening a new concept for the brand next week. It’s the first of its kind in Idaho.
Buffalo Wild Wings GO is opening Tuesday in a 1,300-square-foot space at 286 East Moody Drive near Walmart in Rexburg. It’s one of seven tenants in a new strip. The GO concept focuses primarily on takeout and is designed to help customers get in and out as quickly as possible. Orders are placed online or by calling the restaurant.
The food is put in a locker, and customers pick it up when they arrive.
The restaurant will also do deliveries through DoorDash.
Although Fielding says there is seating for about 10 people inside the restaurant, it’s designed to accommodate take-out orders.
Most of the menu is the same as a traditional Buffalo Wild Wings location, but some items are not available at the take-and-go eatery.
“We don’t have the entire burger lineup that the sports bar has,” Fielding says. “We don’t carry salad, and there are a few appetizers we don’t carry because we don’t have an oven.”
Buffalo Wild Wings launched the GO concept around 2023 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Around that time, customers’ dining habits shifted to a takeout or delivery mentality. There are more than 100 standalone Buffalo Wild Wings GO locations nationwide, according to an industry report. More than 1,300 sports bar locations use the GO branding for takeout and delivery. Fielding says the Rexburg restaurant is the first standalone GO location in Idaho.
Traditional Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants are open late at night. The Rexburg store will maintain similar hours and be open seven days a week, a rarity in a town where many businesses are closed on Sunday.
Fielding foresees the late-night counter service concept being a huge success in small-town Rexburg, where there is a large percentage of college students.
“In this town, there’s not a lot of options for food (late at night). We’re hoping to create a fun late night atmosphere … for people who want that option,” says Fielding. “The Walmart parking lot (across the street) is always packed. It’s one of the last pit stops before Island Park and West Yellowstone (so we anticipate business doing really well).”
Fielding, 40, grew up in Idaho Falls and has worked in the restaurant industry for many years. He started at Buffalo Wild Wings about 10 years ago, and he’s loved every minute of it.
He currently lives in Meridian, but he liked the idea of introducing the brand’s new concept in a city close to his hometown.
A Nampa location, which Fielding also owns, is under construction. Fielding is looking to open other locations across the state.
“I’ve got a real good feeling about going into smaller towns like Blackfoot or Burley,” Fielding says. “The GO concept was created for smaller towns where you’d never be able to put in a full-service restaurant.”
Fielding is eager to see customers’ reactions to the Rexburg store, which will have a grand opening celebration with the Rexburg Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
Its hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Wednesday with a 2 a.m. closing time Thursday through Sunday.