Wingnutz and Stephen Development enter joint venture to open new flagship restaurant-bar location at Buffalo Airport Hotel
CHEEKTOWAGA, NY — Wingnutz and Stephen Development finalized a deal to open a new flagship restaurant location at the Buffalo Airport Hotel, at the corner of Holtz and Genesee directly beside the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The location—which will be called simply “Wingnutz Buffalo”—will replace the existing Stephen-owned Sports 365 Bar & Grill and is intended to serve as the flagship Wingnutz location in Western New York. “We are extremely excited for our hotel to host Wingnutz Buffalo;
our strategic location next to the airport means Wingnutz will serve as a cultural and culinary gateway to Buffalo,” said Paul Stephen. “We are incredibly proud of this joint venture; the benefits for our hotel and its guests are obvious.”
Wingnutz’s wings routinely top lists as among the best in Buffalo and were named the “ #1 Chicken Wing in the World” by Barstool Sports. Wingnutz Buffalo will be the second Wingnutz location in the region, joining the brand’s immensely successful Millersport location in Amherst. Current Wingnutz co-owners AJ Giordano and Chris Cavallari join their long-time strategic advisor and business partner John Coyle along with Stephen Development as co-owners in the new Wingnutz Buffalo venture. “This is a very strong Buffalo brand and vision, and is going to be a must see/must do experience and destination for anyone visiting from out of town,” said John Coyle. “We are really looking forward to hosting locals and visitors at our new flagship location near the Buffalo airport.”
Wingnutz was founded by Ed and Alicia Wrazen in 2005 with the goal of creating the most delicious
wings in the world focusing on size, sauciness and crunch, and it quickly gained a cult-like following
spreading across backyards and tailgates throughout Western New York. To date, Wingnutz has served over 4.5 million chicken wings to their loyal customers. The Buffalo Airport Hotel is a 205-room hotel located directly beside the Buffalo Airport, and is among thelargest independently operated hotels in Western New York. The former Holiday Inn property was acquired by Stephen Development in January 2021 and subsequently converted into an independently owned and operated full service hotel and banquet center. Stephen Development, co-founded by brothers Paul and Jim Stephen, is a Clarence-based real estate development company with multifamily, retail, industrial, and hospitality holdings across Western New York. The company also owns the nearby Sleep Inn & Suites hotel, also located next to the airport. Renovations are expected to begin immediately, with an opening date targeted for late fall. The existing Sports 365 will remain open and operating with a limited menu for the time being.
