According to analyst Bryan Elliott of Raymond James & Associates in New York, Buffalo Wild Wings will perform better in the first quarter because it will run more advertising during the early rounds of the NCAA basketball championship tournament, known as "March Madness." However, Elliott says that the big boost in the first quarter of the year as a result of the advertising will produce "risk to sales later in the year." Elliott also noted that "uncertainty about the duration of very high chicken wing prices" is also a concern.

The Buffalo Wild Wings plan to expand its store base by 15% per year over the next three years is part of an overall growth strategy that includes a "commitment to grow Buffalo Wild Wings to over 1,000 units in the US," according to Sally Smith, the company's president and CEO. The growth strategy is expected to result in 20% revenue growth.

The chain's fourth-quarter results included a jump in revenue of 41.3% to $83.3 million, with same store sales rising 13.2% in the quarter at company-owned restaurants. Earnings of 77 cents per diluted share compared with 30 cents in the comparable quarter last year. This year's figure was the highest EPS for a single quarter in the history of the company, while earnings per share for the year totaled $1.85 per share, an increase of 81% over the previous year. Buffalo Wild Wings Inc., founded in 1982, operates locations in 37 states.