Chicken-wings chain planning 2nd Tacoma location. Here are details on where and when

A familiar chicken-wings chain is planning a second location in Tacoma, according to the chain and permitting on file with the city.

Buffalo Wild Wings is coming to the James Center with a new site at 6909 S. 19th St.

A plan review is in process with the City of Tacoma on a permit application filed March 21, according to the city’s online permit portal.

The plans call for converting existing space, according to the application with the city, and the center’s site map shows it between a Verizon store and the WSECU branch that came to the center last year.

Rachel Russell is a brand public relations specialist for Buffalo Wild Wings’ parent company Inspire Brands.

Russell told The News Tribune in response to questions that the new site will be a new concept model for the chain — Buffalo Wild Wings GO.

“GO is a new takeout and delivery-focused model for Buffalo Wild Wings designed to offer our award-winning chicken wings and 26 signature sauces and seasoning options,” she said via email, “plus a few other fan favorites.”

She added that the new site “will also bring 25 full-time and part-time jobs to the community.”

Another GO site from the chain opened earlier this year in Olympia . The Tacoma location will make the fourth GO location in the state, joining one in Lakewood, 10011 Bridgeport Way SW No. 1100, and one in Kent.

The Tacoma restaurant is set to open this fall, according to Russell, with an exact date still to be announced.

Other chicken franchise updates

Buffalo Wild Wings’ first site in Tacoma opened in the fall of 2011 at 4219 S. Steele St., near the Tacoma Mall. Opening day saw a line out the door in what then-TNT Diner reporter Sue Kidd described as part of Tacoma’s “Chicken Vortex.”

At that time it was the third chicken-wings venue in that area, following Hooters and Wingers, both formerly on Tacoma Mall Boulevard.

While different chains have come and gone, franchise investments in such restaurants remain strong in the area. Here are updates on two Tacoma projects:

▪ Super Chix: The first of this brand’s Washington state sites opened August 2023 in Frederickson.

Mohammad and Elina Khadar are the franchise owners of Super Chix’s Washington state sites, and they opened their newest location March 25 in Federal Way.

Elina Khadar told The News Tribune last month that they are waiting on permits for their first Tacoma site, 4201 S. Steele St., Suite C, next door to Buffalo Wild Wings and a few blocks from Chick-fil-A’s Tacoma location. The city’s permit portal lists the project’s permit as “revision review in process.”

▪ Big Chicken: Local franchise owner Tony Puckett told The News Tribune in response to questions in March that his first Big Chicken, 2601 N. Pearl St. in the Westgate North Shopping Center, was now “shooting for mid-May-ish,” for that site’s opening, after plans originally called for an opening sometime earlier this year.

“We have had a couple things pop up that slowed our progress,” he added.

A KFC/A&W site also at the shopping center is no longer in operation. In response to questions, the company told The News Tribune in a statement Wednesday, “One of our franchisees closed this restaurant as a normal course of business. While this is always a difficult decision, we appreciate the patronage of our loyal guests.”

The company added, “We look forward to continuing to serve our customers at the other KFCs located in the area.”