Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. said Wednesday that same-store sales rose 1.9 percent at company-owned restaurants in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 27, while franchise same-store sales rose just 0.1 percent.
Revenues at the Minneapolis-based chicken wing chain increased 19.9 percent in the quarter, to $490.2 million, from $408.9 million the previous year.
Net earnings increased 24.4 percent, to $25.3 million, or $1.32 per share, from $20.3 million, or $1.07 per share, the previous year.
“Same-store sales growth in the fourth quarter … did not meet our expectations, though they continued to outpace the casual-dining industry,” Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith said in a statement. She noted that holiday shifts at Halloween and Christmas hurt sales by 30 basis points.
Same-store sales at the chain don’t appear to have improved in January. The company said that same-store sales rose 0.3 percent in the month at company-owned locations, but fell 1.5 percent at franchise locations.
That said, comparisons during the month were notably difficult. Same-store sales in the same period a year ago increased more than 12 percent systemwide.
For the year, same-store sales rose 4.2 percent at company locations and 2.5 percent at franchise locations.
“The Buffalo Wild Wings brand is strong and vibrant, and we continue to invest to drive sales and deliver earnings growth for our shareholders,” Smith said.
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Correction: Feb. 3, 2016 An earlier version of the headline on this story incorrectly described the same-store sales increase in 4Q. Same-store sales rose 1.9 percent.
