Buffalo Wild Wings and Mars-owned Pringles are rolling out a three-SKU co-branded crisp collection translating the casual-dining chain's wing sauces into a stackable retail format — the first restaurant-brand flavor collaboration for Pringles in more than five years.
The line hits select retailers this month at a suggested retail price of $2.69 per can, with a full nationwide expansion planned for September, timed to the start of football season.
The Three SKUs
The collection covers a range of heat levels drawn directly from Buffalo Wild Wings' existing sauce menu. Parmesan Garlic leads as the mild-savory option, built around aged parmesan, roasted garlic, and Italian herbs with a citrus note. Medium Buffalo delivers cayenne heat and a buttery finish. Asian Zing, the chain's trademarked sweet-heat sauce, translates to rice vinegar tang, chili pepper heat, and soy-ginger balance in crisp form.
"We've taken the unmistakable flavors people love from Buffalo Wild Wings and packed them into our iconic stackable crisps, creating a lineup that's made for every kickoff, watch party and tailgate," said Mauricio Jenkins, Salty Snacks Brand & Content Lead, Mars Snacking North America.
Brand Extension Logic
For Buffalo Wild Wings — the largest sports-bar chain in the U.S. by unit count, with more than 1,400 locations across nine global markets and a growing off-premise segment through its Buffalo Wild Wings GO format — the partnership extends sauce brand equity into a retail channel without incremental kitchen or labor costs. Tristan Meline, Brand President of Buffalo Wild Wings, framed the deal as a consumer-acquisition play: "It's a fun way to introduce new consumers to the brand and invite them to experience our legendary flavors firsthand."
That calculus is well-worn in casual dining. Chains from Chili's to Olive Garden have licensed sauce and seasoning IP to CPG manufacturers for years, using grocery shelf presence to reinforce brand recall between dining occasions. The tactic has gained urgency as operators compete for share of stomach against a retail snack category that continues to capture off-premise eating occasions — the same daypart growth Buffalo Wild Wings GO is targeting through its virtual and takeout-focused footprint.
For Mars Snacking, the collab lands inside a competitive salty-snack segment where flavor innovation and limited-time differentiation drive trial. Pringles' parent Mars, Incorporated reported combined Mars-Kellanova net sales of more than $65 billion in 2025 following its Kellanova acquisition, giving the snack portfolio — which includes Cheez-It alongside Pringles — significant retail shelf leverage heading into a high-volume football-season sell-through window.
Retail and Operator Takeaways
The September nationwide rollout positions the SKUs squarely within the NFL regular-season snacking window, the highest-velocity period for salty snacks at retail. For foodservice operators tracking licensed flavor partnerships and LTO strategy, the deal illustrates how a 1,400-unit sports-bar system can extend its sauce platform into retail without cannibalizing dine-in traffic — and potentially driving it. Operators considering co-branding or retail licensing plays may find the Buffalo Wild Wings model instructive: asset-light brand extension anchored to an already-scaled proprietary flavor library.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
