FBS Member News 11 One Topic: 10 Facts

MEMBER NEWS

Awesome Holdings Location Raises Money with ‘Pie Your Manager’ Night

Awesome Holdings LLC has developed a creative and fun way to raise money for Team Up for Kids while also bringing team members and their families closer together at the company’s Buffalo Wild Wings® locations.

At Awesome Holdings’ Nashua, New Hampshire, sports bar, the company hosted a Pie Your Manager night on Oct. 18. The event was developed to benefit the Buffalo Wild Wings Foundation’s Team Up for Kids Fundraiser. Team members donated $10 to throw a whipped cream pie in the face of one of the sports bar’s managers. They could donate $20 to throw one at Regional Manager Ben Lee.

“We made this a family affair where our team members brought their kids and significant others for the event,” said Jay Johnston, general manager of the sports bar. “There was pizza and soda offered. This was also a great way to celebrate the holidays with our families together.”

About 30 people attended, and 17 cans of whipped cream were used to pie the managers. More importantly, over $400 was raised during the event and was part of a total of $2,500 raised for the foundation at the restaurant during October.

This was the Nashua location’s first time to try “Pie Your Manager,” but the Awesome Holdings BWW sports bar in Manchester, New Hampshire, has done it twice.

“We were very pleased with the success of this event, and it was great to see the team get so invested in helping the community. It was a great team-building event with an even greater cause,” Johnston said. “We will hold another one of these events in the future because it was such a fun time for us all.”

Managers at Awesome Holdings’ Nashua, New Hamphire, location raised more than $400 with a Pie Your Manager event.

Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurants Across Delaware Host Local Sports Radio Show

Football season is something that many people look forward to each year. Buffalo Wild Wings® restaurants across the country love hosting these fans, whether they are supporting their local high school, college or professional teams.

For High 5 Hospitality, football season was back in full swing this year for several of its restaurants in Delaware. A local sports radio show, “Delaware Live Sports Weekly,” broadcast from several of High 5 Hospitality’s restaurants in September and October, including the Christiana, Middletown, Rehoboth and Dover stores. The locations of the show depended on where the biggest game was each week.

Airing each Wednesday at 7 p.m., the show took place live from Buffalo Wild Wings and covered high school sports rankings, recaps, highlights and more. Coaches and players were interviewed during the show, which was always streamed on the Delaware Live YouTube channel.

The company saw an increase in guests on Wednesdays for the show. “Everyone loves going out and supporting their local teams, especially if that team was going to be featured on that week’s show,” said Samantha Jenkins, social media specialist for High 5 Hospitality. “Sports fans tend to love wings, so the partnership is a perfect match.”

Delaware Live has been partnering with High 5 Hospitality for several years now. High 5 Hospitality is honored to be the restaurant group that brings the Delaware sports community together each year. Shining a spotlight on high school student-athletes was especially important in 2021 because for the past year and a half, it’s been difficult to give them their time to shine.

“Seeing the community be able to bond over wings and local sports teams was really special,” said Jenkins. “Our partnership with “Delaware Live Sports Weekly” has been mutually beneficial, and they’re a great organization to work with.”

The Delaware Live Sports Weekly show took place at High 5 Hospitality BWW restaurants across Delaware this fall.

Buffalo Wild Wings in Manchester, New Hampshire, Hosts Fundraiser for Injured Fire Captain

Members and supporters of the Manchester Fire Relief Association represented many of the guests who supported the fundraiser at BWW. Capt. Steve DesRuisseaux of the Manchester Fire Department was released from the hospital three weeks after sustaining serious burns.

On Nov. 6, the Manchester Fire Department in New Hampshire responded to a serious house fire. Capt. Steve DesRuisseaux was badly burned in the fire while attempting to rescue the residents. He endured second- and third-degree burns to 35-40% of his body and was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston to receive treatment.

Members of the community raised money for his hospital bills at a Buffalo Wild Wings® Eat Wings Raise Funds program the week of Nov. 15 at franchisee Awesome Holdings LLC’s restaurants. Regional Manager Ben Lee met with Lt. Stephen Pearson of the Manchester Fire Department, a regular guest of the sports bar, to brainstorm ways to support DesRuisseaux.

The duo came up with the idea to hold the fundraiser for an entire week at three of Awesome Holdings’ locations rather than a one-day fundraiser at one location. This helped ease the pressure on BWW® staff and gave supporters options to dine in or carry out across New Hampshire.

From Nov. 15-21, the three restaurants in Manchester, Concord and Nashua brought in almost 500 checks that supported the cause, totaling $3,000 to be donated to DesRuisseaux and his family. For Awesome Holdings’ Lee, the best part of hosting this event was seeing how excited the staff members were to help facilitate a fundraiser for a great cause and seeing how many members of the community showed their support.

DesRuisseaux was released from Massachusetts General Hospital on Nov. 29 and was welcomed back to Manchester with a procession by local fire and police. In an interview with Boston CBS Affiliate WBZ, DesRuisseaux said it has been a strange feeling being the one in need of medical attention instead of being the one to help those in distress.

“I’m always on the other side of this, so for me, relying on so many people, it’s not normal for me,” he said. “I’m just happy I’ve had such a great support system. I can’t thank everybody enough.”

Lee and the rest of the Awesome Holdings team were honored to help DesRuisseaux and his family. “These events are what makes this job so rewarding,” he said. “Being able to help others and see the outpouring of support by the community is a great feeling.”