Roanoke Rapids rings in a new restaurant

Katy Nicholson Herald Staff Writer

ROANOKE RAPIDS - As of tomorrow, sports fans in Roanoke Rapids will have a new place to gather.

Buffalo Wings & Rings is about to open in the Lowe's shopping center, and owner Michael Lynch is excited to see the results of nearly a year of planning.

“I've known I wanted to be in the business,” Lynch said. “It was just a matter of finding what Roanoke Rapids needed, what it didn't have, and I decided on something sports-related.”

The restaurant will feature sandwiches, burgers, gyros, homemade soups and chili and a variety of beer and wines, as well as its signature Buffalo wings and the “rings,” which are actually curly fries.

Twelve high-definition TVs, including a 61-incher, cover the walls, and there will be video games for both children and adults. Lynch said it's important to him that the atmosphere of the restaurant remains family-friendly.

“It's a place where everybody, whether they're 6 or 65, should be comfortable coming in,” he said.

The grand opening, scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m., will be fairly low-key, Lynch said, because he wants to focus on the basics - food and customer service.

“It's going to be busy, but the most important part of this business is making sure the customers have a good experience,” he said, adding he hopes to kick off the football season with drawings and raffles once the restaurant has become more established in the community.

Lynch, who grew up in Roanoke Rapids and returned after college, has learned from his family how to run a business. He's been working with his father at the family-owned Lynch's Office Supply. His brothers, Chris and Kevin, are in charge of the office supply and signs and graphics aspects of the business, respectively.

Buffalo Wings & Rings can be found in 66 locations, some international, according to Nader Masadeh, executive vice president for the Cincinnati-based company.

Most are in and around Ohio, but the company, which was created in 1988, has more than tripled in size during the last couple years. This is the first franchise in North Carolina, but some prospective owners from Charlotte and the Raleigh-Durham area plan on stopping by to see what the restaurant is like.

Masadeh arrived in Roanoke Rapids last week and will stay for two more weeks to train the staff. He has attended the opening of just about every franchise, and said this one seems to be going well.

Lynch has been dealing with planning, legal and organizational issues - including six weeks of training in Cincinnati - since last July, but Masadeh said most franchises take more than a year to open.

“I would title this one a smooth opening,” he said.

So far, Lynch said, the community seems to be ready for the restaurant to open. “I have people ask me all the time when they're going to get their wings.”