Popular Springfield restaurant to close for extensive makeover

A popular Springfield restaurant will close temporarily Sunday night for an extensive interior makeover.

The Buffalo Wild Wings location at 1960 N. Bechtle Ave. will close at the end of business Sunday and reopen about a week later with a redesigned interior.

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“We’re transitioning into what’s called the new Stadia look,” said Rick Small, director of marketing for Grube Inc., a franchisee based in Defiance, Ohio. “When people come in, they’re going to experience a much brighter-looking place. It’s going to be more or less like a memorabilia museum.”

The redesign will be significant enough most customers wouldn’t recognize the interior once it reopens, he said. Along with more memorabilia, there will also be more televisions.

“There are just three jerseys hanging in that place right now,” Small said. “When people come back in they’re going to see over 25 jerseys hung in that place with all kinds of extra bells and whistles.”

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Along with recognizing local NFL and NBA teams, area high schools will also be highlighted with plaques on the wall. Wittenberg University and the University of Dayton will be prominently featured, he said.

Grube Inc. purchased the Springfield location about a year ago, along with a separate location in Wilmington, Small said. The company operates 22 Buffalo Wild Wings stores in five states.

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He declined to discuss the cost of the renovations but said of the chain’s 22 stores, five are scheduled for renovations this year. Each of the chain’s restaurants are typically remodeled about once every seven years, he said.

It’s not yet clear how long the renovations will take but the goal is to reopen by Saturday, June 17, Small said. Renovations typically take about 10 days, but Small said the goal is to reopen slightly earlier in this case.

“We really try to embrace the region we’re in,” Small said. “We want to really be part of the Springfield community.”

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