The anticipation has been building and, finally, the wait is almost over — Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar will open next week.



Wing lovers on both sides of the river will be lining up early Monday. The chain is opening two restaurants, one on the Carlisle Pike at the Silver Creek Plaza on the Pike in Hampden Twp. and a second one at the Colonial Park Mall in Lower Paxton Twp.

The restaurants are part of a nationwide launch by the Minnesota-based chain. More than a dozen Buffalo Wild Wings will open across the country on Monday.

Hampden Twp. manager Michael Coleman said diners traditionally line up early on opening day. That’s because the first 100 people through the doors win a coupon book worth free wings for a year.

The coupons can be redeemed weekly for six free wings, he said.

Already, Coleman said people have been driving by the restaurant and calling about the opening. There has been plenty of buzz since the chain announced it would be planting its roots in the midstate, where there already is no shortage of wing establishments.

“Really, we want to do three things great — wings, beer and sports,” Coleman said.

The first Buffalo Wild Wings opened in 1982 in Canton, Ohio. There are now more than 840 locations across 48 states in the United States, as well as in Canada.

Regional marketing manager Tracy Micheau said the chain puts a lot of time into selecting the right locations for its restaurants.

The Colonial Park Mall Buffalo Wild Wings is taking over part of the mall’s food court and will have both indoor and outdoor entrances. The restaurants boast 50 televisions and 30 beers on tap as well as countless wing options thanks to 16 sauces and five dry rubs.

But for those who aren’t wing fans, the restaurants offer burgers, sandwiches, salads and kids meals.

The restaurant will be open: 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-midnight Sunday. Phone at Hampden Twp. restaurant is 717-697-2142. Colonial Park Mall is 717-526-6183.