BWLD Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. (delisted)

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BWLD), announced today financial results for the second quarter ended June 26, 2011. Highlights for the second quarter versus the same period a year ago were:

• Total revenue increased 26.4% to $184.1 million
• Company-owned restaurant sales grew 27.6% to $167.9 million
• Same-store sales increased 5.9% at company-owned restaurants and 2.7% at franchised restaurants
• Net earnings increased 16.4% to $10.7 million from $9.2 million, and earnings per diluted share increased 16.0% to $0.58 from $0.50

Sally Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “The appeal of our brand is evident in the strong same-store sales we saw in the second quarter, with an increase of 5.9% at company-owned locations and 2.7% at franchised locations. Our same-store sales, combined with our unit growth, fueled the substantial increase in revenue of 26.4%. In May, we celebrated the opening of our first international location near Toronto. We’re entering numerous major markets this year, and we increased our presence across the United States with 18 additional locations in the second quarter. To ensure that we successfully launch our brand in these new markets we incurred year-over-year increases in preopening costs and general and administrative expenses. Net earnings grew by over 16% in the second quarter, providing value to our shareholders with earnings per diluted share of $0.58, even with these investments in our future.”

Total revenue increased 26.4% to $184.1 million in the second quarter compared to $145.7 million in the second quarter of 2010. Company-owned restaurant sales for the quarter increased 27.6% over the same period in 2010, to $167.9 million, driven by a company-owned same-store sales increase of 5.9% and 43 additional company-owned restaurants at the end of second quarter 2011 relative to the same period in 2010. Franchise royalties and fees increased 14.4% to $16.2 million versus $14.2 million in the second quarter of 2010. This increase is attributed to a franchise same-store sales increase of 2.7% and 45 additional franchised restaurants at the end of the period versus a year ago.

Average weekly sales for company-owned restaurants were $47,970 for the second quarter of 2011 compared to $43,021 for the same quarter last year, an 11.5% increase. Franchised restaurants averaged $50,995 for the period versus $49,051 in the second quarter a year ago, a 4.0% increase.

For the second quarter, net earnings increased 16.4% to $10.7 million versus $9.2 million in the second quarter of 2010. Earnings per diluted share were $0.58, as compared to second quarter 2010 earnings per diluted share of $0.50.

2011 Outlook

Ms. Smith remarked, “Same-store sales remain impressive with an increase of 4.9% at company-owned and 3.0% at franchised locations to date in the third quarter. We join with our Guests in anticipation of the upcoming football season and Tablegating™ at Buffalo Wild Wings. Our restaurant teams are gearing up to deliver the great game day experience we’re known for. We’ll have an increased media presence throughout the third and fourth quarters and we have marketing and operations plans in place to engage our passionate Buffalo Wild Wings fans.”

Ms. Smith concluded, “We’re investing in our unit growth, particularly as we enter new markets. In the second half of 2011, we expect to open 29 company-owned restaurants in the United States and three in Canada and our franchisees should open about 37 locations, attaining our 13% unit growth goal for the year. Our net earnings growth for the first half of 2011 is over 29%, exceeding our stated annual goal of over 18% growth. With the strength of our bottom-line performance to date, the NFL season intact, and continuing same-store sales momentum, we should achieve net earnings growth of more than 20% for the year.”

Buffalo Wild Wings will be hosting a conference call today, July 26, 2011 at 4:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time to discuss these results. There will be a simultaneous webcast conducted at our website www.buffalowildwings.com.

A replay of the call will be available until August 2, 2011. To access this replay, please dial 1.858.384.5517 password 4454245.

About the Company

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc., founded in 1982 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a growing owner, operator and franchisor of Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar™ restaurants featuring a variety of boldly-flavored, made-to-order menu items including its namesake Buffalo, New York-style chicken wings. The Buffalo Wild Wings’ menu specializes in 18 mouth-watering signature sauces and seasonings with flavor sensations ranging from Sweet BBQ™ to Blazin’®. Guests enjoy a welcoming neighborhood atmosphere that includes an extensive multi-media system for watching their favorite sporting events. Buffalo Wild Wings is the recipient of hundreds of "Best Wings" and "Best Sports Bar" awards from across the country. There are currently 773 Buffalo Wild Wings locations across 45 states in the United States, as well as in Canada.

Forward-looking Statements

Various remarks we make about future expectations, plans, and prospects for the company constitute forward-looking statements for purposes of the Safe Harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements relate to our future financial and store performance measures and growth goals for 2011 and beyond, including but not limited to those relating to our second quarter sales trends and projected unit, revenue and net earnings growth rates for 2011 and beyond. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements and are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management. We have attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology, including “anticipates,” “believes,” “can,” “continue,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “potential,” “predicts,” “should” or “will” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Actual results may vary materially from those contained in forward-looking statements based on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, our ability to achieve and manage our planned expansion, the ability of our franchisees to open and manage new restaurants, market acceptance in the new geographic regions we enter (particularly non-U.S. locations), unforeseen obstacles in developing nontraditional sites or non-U.S. locations, our ability to obtain and maintain licenses and permits necessary to operate our existing and new restaurants, our franchisees’ adherence to our practices, policies and procedures, the cost of commodities such as traditional chicken wings, the success of our key initiatives and our advertising and marketing campaigns, our ability to control restaurant labor and other restaurant operating costs, the continued service of key management personnel, our ability to protect our name and logo and other proprietary information, economic conditions (including changes in consumer preferences or consumer discretionary spending), the impact of federal, state or local government regulations relating to our employees, the sale of food and alcoholic beverages, disruption to sports seasons, the effect of competition in the restaurant industry, and other factors disclosed from time to time in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the factors described under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 26, 2010, as updated in subsequent reports filed with the SEC. Investors should take such risks into account when making investment decisions. Shareholders and other readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date on which they are made. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

    BUFFALO WILD WINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF EARNINGS (Dollar and share amounts in thousands except per share data) (unaudited)       Three months ended     Six months ended June 26,     June 27, June 26,     June 27, 2011 2010 2011 2010 Revenue: Restaurant sales $ 167,896 131,531 333,423 269,493 Franchise royalties and fees   16,205   14,170   32,828 28,479 Total revenue   184,101   145,701   366,251 297,972   Costs and expenses: Restaurant operating costs: Cost of sales 45,735 37,601 91,999 79,825 Labor 51,309 40,089 100,187 80,774 Operating 25,048 21,173 49,597 42,628 Occupancy 10,659 8,807 20,886 17,717 Depreciation and amortization 11,931 9,456 22,953 19,006 General and administrative (1) 18,766 12,929 35,058 24,955 Preopening 4,116 1,197 6,503 2,312 Loss on asset disposals and store closures   492   526   903 937 Total costs and expenses   168,056   131,778   328,086 268,154   Income from operations 16,045 13,923 38,165 29,818 Investment income (loss)   (152 ) (156 ) 204 29 Earnings before income taxes 15,893 13,767 38,369 29,847 Income tax expense   5,220   4,601   12,835 10,120 Net earnings $ 10,673   9,166   25,534 19,727 Earnings per common share – basic $ 0.58 0.50 1.39 1.09 Earnings per common share – diluted 0.58 0.50 1.39 1.08 Weighted average shares outstanding – basic 18,330 18,167 18,318 18,157 Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted 18,401 18,234 18,389 18,230  

(1) Includes stock-based compensation of $3,399, $1,313, $5,952, and $2,538, respectively

The following table expresses results of operations as a percentage of total revenue for the periods presented, except for restaurant operating costs which are expressed as a percentage of restaurant sales:

      Three months ended     Six months ended June 26,     June 27, June 26,     June 27, 2011 2010 2011 2010 Revenue: Restaurant sales 91.2 % 90.3 % 91.0 % 90.4 % Franchising royalties and fees 8.8   9.7   9.0   9.6   Total revenue 100.0   100.0   100.0   100.0     Costs and expenses: Restaurant operating costs: Cost of sales 27.2 28.6 27.6 29.6 Labor 30.6 30.5 30.0 30.0 Operating 14.9 16.1 14.9 15.8 Occupancy 6.3 6.7 6.3 6.6 Depreciation and amortization 6.5 6.5 6.3 6.4 General and administrative 10.2 8.9 9.6 8.4 Preopening 2.2 0.8 1.8 0.8 Loss on asset disposals and store closures 0.3   0.4   0.2   0.3   Total costs and expenses 91.3   90.4   89.6   90.0     Income from operations 8.7 9.6 10.4 10.0 Investment income (loss) (0.1 ) (0.1 ) 0.1   0.0   Earnings before income taxes 8.6 9.4 10.5 10.0 Income tax expense 2.8   3.2   3.5   3.4   Net earnings 5.8   6.3   7.0   6.6       BUFFALO WILD WINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Dollar amounts in thousands) (unaudited)       June 26,     December 26, 2011 2010 Assets Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ 37,836 15,309 Marketable securities 48,267 56,827 Accounts receivable – franchisees, net of allowance of $88 and $25 1,209 1,086 Accounts receivable – other 10,250 7,947 Inventory 4,344 4,158 Prepaid expenses 2,428 3,505 Refundable income taxes 834 6,366 Deferred income taxes 7,470 6,069 Restricted assets   32,731   32,937   Total current assets 145,369 134,204   Property and equipment, net 257,434 224,970 Other assets 13,286 9,937 Goodwill   12,192   11,246   Total assets $ 428,281   380,357     Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity Current liabilities: Unearned franchise fees $ 2,049 2,109 Accounts payable 24,681 17,632 Accrued compensation and benefits 20,261 19,324 Accrued expenses 6,449 5,696 Current portion of deferred lease credits — 293 System-wide payables   32,943   34,062   Total current liabilities 86,383 79,116   Long-term liabilities: Other liabilities 1,674 1,574 Deferred income taxes 31,638 24,557 Deferred lease credits, net of current portion   19,901   18,289   Total liabilities   139,596   123,536     Commitments and contingencies Stockholders’ equity: Undesignated stock, 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued — — Common stock, no par value. Authorized 44,000,000 shares; issued and outstanding 18,343,604 and 18,214,065 respectively 108,813 102,484 Retained earnings 179,881 154,346 Accumulated other comprehensive loss   (9 ) (9 ) Total stockholders’ equity   288,685   256,821   Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 428,281   380,357       BUFFALO WILD WINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Dollar amounts in thousands) (unaudited)       Six months ended June 26,     June 27, 2011 2010 Cash flows from operating activities: Net earnings $ 25,534 19,727 Adjustments to reconcile net earnings to cash provided by operations: Depreciation 22,574 18,699 Amortization 379 307 Loss on asset disposals and store closures 904 847 Deferred lease credits 1,568 929 Deferred income taxes 4,795 (2,123 ) Stock-based compensation 5,952 2,538 Excess tax benefit from stock issuance (211 ) (116 ) Change in operating assets and liabilities: Trading securities (246 ) (748 ) Accounts receivable (2,643 ) 124 Inventory (186 ) 244 Prepaid expenses 1,077 967 Other assets (1,534 ) (312 ) Unearned franchise fees (60 ) (347 ) Accounts payable 4,072 2,472 Income taxes 5,743 1,014 Accrued expenses   2,525   (2,749 ) Net cash provided by operating activities   70,243   41,473     Cash flows for investing activities: Acquisition of property and equipment (55,159 ) (25,506 ) Purchase of marketable securities (54,790 ) (61,114 ) Proceeds of marketable securities   63,597   46,005   Net cash used in investing activities   (46,352 ) (40,615 )   Cash flows for financing activities: Issuance of common stock 867 782 Tax payments for restricted stock units (2,481 ) (1,625 ) Excess tax benefit from stock issuance   211   116   Net cash used in financing activities   (1,403 ) (727 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents   39   —   Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 22,527 131 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period   15,309   9,580   Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 37,836   9,711      

BUFFALO WILD WINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Supplemental Information

  Restaurant Count   Company-owned Restaurants:       Q1       Q2       Q3       Q4 2011 263 277 2010 235 234 244 259 2009 206 215 220 232 2008 165 169 187 197 2007 140 145 148 161  

Franchised Restaurants:

      Q1       Q2       Q3       Q4 2011 488 492 2010 430 447 457 473 2009 373 383 400 420 2008 340 346 348 363 2007 299 301 313 332     Same-Store Sales   Company-owned Restaurants:                               Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Year 2011 3.9 % 5.9 % 2010 0.1 % (0.1 %) 2.6 % (0.3 %) 0.6 % 2009 6.4 % 2.8 % 0.8 % 2.6 % 3.1 % 2008 4.1 % 8.3 % 6.8 % 4.5 % 5.9 % 2007 8.7 % 8.1 % 8.3 % 3.4 % 6.9 %  

Franchised Restaurants:

        Q1       Q2       Q3       Q4       Year 2011 1.6 % 2.7 % 2010 0.7 % (0.7 %) 0.3 % (1.1 %) (0.2 %) 2009 6.0 % 3.7 % 1.9 % 2.0 % 3.4 % 2008 2.1 % 4.5 % 2.1 % 2.5 % 2.8 % 2007 3.3 % 4.0 % 5.9 % 2.3 % 3.9 %      

BUFFALO WILD WINGS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

Supplemental Information

  Average Weekly Sales Volumes   Company-owned Restaurants:         Q1       Q2       Q3       Q4       Year 2011 $ 48,845 47,970 2010 45,327 43,021 44,394 45,595 44,601 2009 45,593 42,938 42,602 44,583 43,912 2008 41,438 40,572 42,400 43,864 42,141 2007 39,254 36,655 38,498 40,485 38,757  

Franchised Restaurants:

                              Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Year 2011 $ 52,744 50,995 2010 51,532 49,051 49,005 49,837 49,835 2009 50,729 48,619 48,458 50,115 49,479 2008 47,812 46,390 46,889 48,424 47,382 2007 46,439 43,998 45,879 47,293 45,901