tl;dr - still not really my kind of place, but it was on the downswing before and it's back on the upswing now - will go again without complaints So back in the days before I was on Yelp, my husband and I used to host a monthly buzz time trivia night at Buffalo Wild Wings in Dover. Over the years, the service got worse, the prices got higher, and we had a few pretty bad experiences somewhere around 2008-2009ish and we just gradually stopped going. It was never really my kind of place, but I liked the food, and the trivia. I didn't like the noise levels or the general atmosphere. I'm not a sports fan. My husband went to the ones up in New Castle County sporadically, and he still loved the food, but when we would go out together closer to home... there were just too many other good places to spend any time or money at BWW. So we cut back dramatically, and since late 2009/early 2010 we've probably only been half a dozen times, tops. About a month ago was one of those times. You know how anytime you go to a chain restaurant, all the staff have a little spiel they go through? Hi, how are ya, have you been here before, etc... Well this time somehow in response to the spiel, we mentioned that we used to come all the time but hadn't been in ages. The waitress politely asked why, and my husband said something polite and mostly untrue about us being busy or something. But apparently she saw the "bullshit" look on my face and inquired about it, so I told her the real reason - that it used to be awesome, and over the years it got less and less awesome, culminating in a few bad experiences and an alienation of our affections for the joint. She was interested and sympathetic, and said she hoped she could change our outlook. A few minutes later, here comes the manager. Similar conversation with him. Including that it isn't really my kind of atmosphere in general. He asked a lot of questions, listened to the answers, etc... All the while we're getting great service, great food, etc... from the waitress. I wish I wasn't so lousy with names - it was something with an M- Michelle? Melissa? Anyway, we left feeling significantly more charitable toward BWW, partially thanks to the letter from the manager offering us a $30 credit toward our next visit. Fast forward to this evening, washing machine went kaput on race weekend mid way through a load of laundry. We went to Dover to go look around and see what our options were (holy cow, washers have come a long way since we bought ours 18 years ago) and stopped for BWW to unwind and read reviews online etc... I know there's a lot of gaming and scheming from some businesses on Yelp, and it crossed my mind to wonder whether our really good experience on our prior visit was in any way related to Yelp Elite* status, since I checked in on the mobile app on the way into the parking lot, so I didn't check in this time until we were on the way out. Different waitress, still better than average service, good food, etc... *I don't mean to sound like I think Yelp Elite status is anything anybody should care about because it's not really, but I have heard some crazy stories about the lengths business owners will go to in pursuit of improving their ratings - see my review of Leloli Cafe
(4)
Precious J.
Ample parking, nice staff, decent atmosphere. Ordered 10 wings lemon pepper and mango habanero (usual flavors). Both tasted different not the signature lemon pepper rub taste or the sweet/spicy mango habanero sauce flavor I'm familiar with. Despite parking, staff and atmosphere I will never eat at this location again because it made me sick to my stomach afterwards!!!
(1)
Ray P.
I have been coming here since they first opened their doors. I find myself not coming as much as I used to though. I really like the outside sitting area where I would enjoy a beer and a smoke. The inside area can get hectic and loud. The management takes a no nonsense approach to rowdiness and will kick you out very quickly as I have witnessed. One time the wife and I watched them kick out patrons before they had a chance to order food. They patrons claimed they weren't even the trouble makers, it was somebody that they were with last time. Nonetheless, management did not care and asked them to leave. huh Food has always been great here for me. It does take a little while for it to come out though. Usually I always go on the wing special nights. Nowadays its 60 cents and wing. Yeah yeah yeah I know everything is going up but what can we do about it? I still like their wings. It's a little step up from the pizza joint wings ... but not much.
(3)
S K.
What do you expect from a sports-bar chain? Good wings and beer with good ambience, and hang out place. Nothing extraordinary on the menu however, although their new flatbread chicken pizza is pretty good. If you're looking for healthy or upscale, this is not the place. Decent crowd with lots of regulars.
(4)
Eric W.
I would give it ZERO if I could. This place always SUCKS!!! I have given it many tries, but CRAP this place is TERRIBLE!!! They close early, leave the bar when customers are waiting, and do not seem to notice when your drink is empty. Awful!!!! I would never in good conscious recommend this CRAPPY place!
(1)
Nikhil B.
Great place to catch a game. Wings are much better than any regular bar. Typical bat food and decent collection of beers. Service and decor were decent. Any seat is good and u have a screen to look at. Decor and music are pretty regular. I'd go again of I wanna catch a game and not looking for gourmet food
(4)
Willard S.
So we went in to BWW's because my youngest son wanted to eat there for his Birthday. Making this short and sweet, the server Robin was awesome and had a very positive attitude. On the other hand the food was nasty. I ordered nachos and in the bottom there was torn up trash and made me want to throw up. I could have cared less if the manager took the nachos off of the ticket. Want would make me go back is if they fired all the kitchen staff and replaced them with people who care about their job. Until the kitchen staff is released of their position and replaced with new, I will not be returning there. I don't even want the gift certificates the manager gave me. Would rather travel 45 min to eat somewhere else than the BWW's in Dover.
(1)
Michael N.
I'm here from Dallas on a teaching assignment. I went to BWW on 10-7 and had the best wings I've ever had. No spices, just Medium Hot - they were awesome! The Yuengling was the best! Aimee was our server and rocked! The place was so good, I went back on my birthday on 10-12 to watch the Cowboys win.
(5)
Katie A.
Good atmosphere, nice service, drinks were delicious. However I do prefer Hooters wings over the ones I had here.
(4)
K. K.
Definitely one of the lower end BBW's there could be. The boneless wings are always mediocre and never mouth watering tasty. The service is hit or miss depending on your waiter and the tables are never cleaned very well. Walked in and told the hostess we would like a booth and she stated she had none. We stated a table is fine and we turned the corner to see EVERY booth was open AND available. She apologized and sat us there immediately - she should probably check the floor before she starts her shift better.The boneless wings tasted of old oil every time you bit into them, and our appetizer came out way after the meal. For a 2pm lunch date when they aren't that busy this service/ food quality was unforgivable. Definitely would rather spend my money somewhere else.
(2)
Kristen J.
We waited about 45 minutes for food, after waiting 30 minutes to order the food, and we rarely saw our waitress. When someone asked to see the manager, the waitress magically appeared with a snippy attitude. Normally we love BWW, but this experience was terrible. Probably won't go back to this Dover establishment.
(1)
Bob H.
I went to BWW for lunch and had a horrible experience. Our wait time was about thirty minutes and the restaurant was not busy. First thing I noticed after being seated and going to use the restroom to wash my hands was that the hand soap was empty. Then my waiter and another waiter on the clock were talking to another employee who was eating his lunch at a table next to us. The waitresses back was to us so it took five minutes for her to realize I needed a drink refill. Our food took 30 minutes to come out of the kitchen and there was only three of us we all ordered wings and fries. And to top it all off when my bill came they over charged me for my appetizer or so I thought. I asked to see a menu and the price was different from the one I had ordered from. I asked the waitress to grab me the menu I had ordered from and it was an old menu showing a different price. I asked to see the manager. The manager come to the table, he did not introduce himself just started talking. He said "I understand there was a pricing issue caused by an old menu. I apologize and I am willing to refund the difference." Then the manager attempted to hand me fifteen cents. Mind you I paid with a debt card. So not only did I not have soap to wash my hands, waited thirty minutes for ten deep fried wings, the manager insults me in front of my coworkers. He did not even began the interaction by introducing himself and asking what my concerns were he took the waitresses versions of my issues and assumed he knew what I wanted to see him for. This seems like a lost opportunity to get real time feedback from your customs to make your business better. I informed him of my real concerns which was not fifteen cents on a twenty dollar bill but rather the lack of manager oversight on seemingly simple items making sure employee's change the soap. Making sure that the wait staff doesn't spend time with coworkers on their lunch break in front of paying customers making them wait for drink refills, then not checking on the status of their order from the kitchen. Only an apology was given to me by the manager, not an explanation any reassurance that this would not happen to other customers or that the issues would be addressed. No, just an apology but I am the one that is sorry. Sorry I thought that anything had changed at this location from my last complaint to the manager. Good job upper management I guess if you don't care I don't and I'll take my business and all my coworkers business down the road to the green turtle. Where they value customer feedback not see it as an inconvenience! BWW -5 stars.
(1)
Ma-e M.
On the Wings of love? Not this time, Honeybee. I ordered the traditional wings and boneless with different sauces: mild, teriyaki, parmersan garlic, and the best is the honey. I think I find the honey, my sauce for barbeque. This restaurant is pub like, high ceiling building, and spacious. A little bit disorganized in the kitchen as they forgot to give me my celery, carrots, and dipping sauce; but quite fast that I was not able to change my order.
(3)
Matt R.
A friend and I got takeout from here tonight. My food was OK, but his order was incorrect - and this after I watched the takeout lady check the food three or four times before putting it in my bag (his was at the bottom of the bag; I checked the top box, but not the bottom one...should have known better). Had to wait a good 5-10 minutes (they said it would be ready in 15-20 minutes, and I got there 30 minutes later; the food was ready 5-10 thereafter) on seats that were not clean - how do the seats in the take-out waiting area get salt or sugar on them when the food isn't served there? Maybe the powder was someone's crack cocaine - the unlit parking lot makes the place look pretty sketchy come nightfall.
(2)
Bermie H.
I happened to be there on $.50 wing Tuesdays. The place was packed but we still got seated quickly. Service is friendly. The Honey BBQ Bacon burger and onion rings were pretty good. However, the wings weren't on the same level. Yes, I know they're only $.50 each but the quality still shouldn't suffer. I recall the last time I had the spicy garlic wings in West Nyack they tasted much better. BWW is definitely a great atmosphere for sports enthusiasts. I happened to be there during a Flyers vs. Canadiens playoff game and the place was going nuts.
(3)
Ro L.
My first time at Buffalo Wild Wings. The employees were friendly, the beer was cold and the wings were so good.
(5)
Amy C.
Friendly staff, inexpensive, decent food, fastest service I've ever experienced (Including fast food) and cheap beer! What more could you ask for from a wing joint?
(5)
Ron S.
BWW isn't what it started out to be. We used to go there every week, sometimes more. Now we are down to a few times a year. When it first opened the wings were impressive in size. A couple years later and they had dropped by 50%. We went there on 9-7-2011 and were completely disappointed. The wings have gotten even smaller, as if they could. I compared one to the size of my thumb. My thumb was bigger and I'm not a large person. Their excuse on this issue is that the venders can't get them any larger due to demand. That's not true. I caught a vender on the DL and asked him what gives on their wing size. He said simply that their wings come available in small, medium, and large. BWW has been ordering the smalls basically because their overhead is very high and patronage is down about 75% over 5 years ago. It's going to keep dropping if they continue to serve substandard wings. I used the bathroom while I was there and felt as if I should have gone immediately to the hospital for a tetnus shot. It was horrible! The sinks were very dirty and the towel dispensers were falling off of the wall. Even though it was not busy at the time of our visit we noticed several tables (about 6) that were not bused and cleaned even though the customers had left 20 minutes ago. I thought this location might be an exception until I recently vacationed in Chattenooga, TN. Their BWW was even worse and the staff was less than friendly. So I'd say this is a trend. If you just want a beer and watch the game you are pretty safe. If you want an outing with your family I'd say stay away.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Loud Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Coat Check : No Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Leah K.
tl;dr - still not really my kind of place, but it was on the downswing before and it's back on the upswing now - will go again without complaints So back in the days before I was on Yelp, my husband and I used to host a monthly buzz time trivia night at Buffalo Wild Wings in Dover. Over the years, the service got worse, the prices got higher, and we had a few pretty bad experiences somewhere around 2008-2009ish and we just gradually stopped going. It was never really my kind of place, but I liked the food, and the trivia. I didn't like the noise levels or the general atmosphere. I'm not a sports fan. My husband went to the ones up in New Castle County sporadically, and he still loved the food, but when we would go out together closer to home... there were just too many other good places to spend any time or money at BWW. So we cut back dramatically, and since late 2009/early 2010 we've probably only been half a dozen times, tops. About a month ago was one of those times. You know how anytime you go to a chain restaurant, all the staff have a little spiel they go through? Hi, how are ya, have you been here before, etc... Well this time somehow in response to the spiel, we mentioned that we used to come all the time but hadn't been in ages. The waitress politely asked why, and my husband said something polite and mostly untrue about us being busy or something. But apparently she saw the "bullshit" look on my face and inquired about it, so I told her the real reason - that it used to be awesome, and over the years it got less and less awesome, culminating in a few bad experiences and an alienation of our affections for the joint. She was interested and sympathetic, and said she hoped she could change our outlook. A few minutes later, here comes the manager. Similar conversation with him. Including that it isn't really my kind of atmosphere in general. He asked a lot of questions, listened to the answers, etc... All the while we're getting great service, great food, etc... from the waitress. I wish I wasn't so lousy with names - it was something with an M- Michelle? Melissa? Anyway, we left feeling significantly more charitable toward BWW, partially thanks to the letter from the manager offering us a $30 credit toward our next visit. Fast forward to this evening, washing machine went kaput on race weekend mid way through a load of laundry. We went to Dover to go look around and see what our options were (holy cow, washers have come a long way since we bought ours 18 years ago) and stopped for BWW to unwind and read reviews online etc... I know there's a lot of gaming and scheming from some businesses on Yelp, and it crossed my mind to wonder whether our really good experience on our prior visit was in any way related to Yelp Elite* status, since I checked in on the mobile app on the way into the parking lot, so I didn't check in this time until we were on the way out. Different waitress, still better than average service, good food, etc... *I don't mean to sound like I think Yelp Elite status is anything anybody should care about because it's not really, but I have heard some crazy stories about the lengths business owners will go to in pursuit of improving their ratings - see my review of Leloli Cafe
(4)Precious J.
Ample parking, nice staff, decent atmosphere. Ordered 10 wings lemon pepper and mango habanero (usual flavors). Both tasted different not the signature lemon pepper rub taste or the sweet/spicy mango habanero sauce flavor I'm familiar with. Despite parking, staff and atmosphere I will never eat at this location again because it made me sick to my stomach afterwards!!!
(1)Ray P.
I have been coming here since they first opened their doors. I find myself not coming as much as I used to though. I really like the outside sitting area where I would enjoy a beer and a smoke. The inside area can get hectic and loud. The management takes a no nonsense approach to rowdiness and will kick you out very quickly as I have witnessed. One time the wife and I watched them kick out patrons before they had a chance to order food. They patrons claimed they weren't even the trouble makers, it was somebody that they were with last time. Nonetheless, management did not care and asked them to leave. huh Food has always been great here for me. It does take a little while for it to come out though. Usually I always go on the wing special nights. Nowadays its 60 cents and wing. Yeah yeah yeah I know everything is going up but what can we do about it? I still like their wings. It's a little step up from the pizza joint wings ... but not much.
(3)S K.
What do you expect from a sports-bar chain? Good wings and beer with good ambience, and hang out place. Nothing extraordinary on the menu however, although their new flatbread chicken pizza is pretty good. If you're looking for healthy or upscale, this is not the place. Decent crowd with lots of regulars.
(4)Eric W.
I would give it ZERO if I could. This place always SUCKS!!! I have given it many tries, but CRAP this place is TERRIBLE!!! They close early, leave the bar when customers are waiting, and do not seem to notice when your drink is empty. Awful!!!! I would never in good conscious recommend this CRAPPY place!
(1)Nikhil B.
Great place to catch a game. Wings are much better than any regular bar. Typical bat food and decent collection of beers. Service and decor were decent. Any seat is good and u have a screen to look at. Decor and music are pretty regular. I'd go again of I wanna catch a game and not looking for gourmet food
(4)Willard S.
So we went in to BWW's because my youngest son wanted to eat there for his Birthday. Making this short and sweet, the server Robin was awesome and had a very positive attitude. On the other hand the food was nasty. I ordered nachos and in the bottom there was torn up trash and made me want to throw up. I could have cared less if the manager took the nachos off of the ticket. Want would make me go back is if they fired all the kitchen staff and replaced them with people who care about their job. Until the kitchen staff is released of their position and replaced with new, I will not be returning there. I don't even want the gift certificates the manager gave me. Would rather travel 45 min to eat somewhere else than the BWW's in Dover.
(1)Michael N.
I'm here from Dallas on a teaching assignment. I went to BWW on 10-7 and had the best wings I've ever had. No spices, just Medium Hot - they were awesome! The Yuengling was the best! Aimee was our server and rocked! The place was so good, I went back on my birthday on 10-12 to watch the Cowboys win.
(5)Katie A.
Good atmosphere, nice service, drinks were delicious. However I do prefer Hooters wings over the ones I had here.
(4)K. K.
Definitely one of the lower end BBW's there could be. The boneless wings are always mediocre and never mouth watering tasty. The service is hit or miss depending on your waiter and the tables are never cleaned very well. Walked in and told the hostess we would like a booth and she stated she had none. We stated a table is fine and we turned the corner to see EVERY booth was open AND available. She apologized and sat us there immediately - she should probably check the floor before she starts her shift better.The boneless wings tasted of old oil every time you bit into them, and our appetizer came out way after the meal. For a 2pm lunch date when they aren't that busy this service/ food quality was unforgivable. Definitely would rather spend my money somewhere else.
(2)Kristen J.
We waited about 45 minutes for food, after waiting 30 minutes to order the food, and we rarely saw our waitress. When someone asked to see the manager, the waitress magically appeared with a snippy attitude. Normally we love BWW, but this experience was terrible. Probably won't go back to this Dover establishment.
(1)Bob H.
I went to BWW for lunch and had a horrible experience. Our wait time was about thirty minutes and the restaurant was not busy. First thing I noticed after being seated and going to use the restroom to wash my hands was that the hand soap was empty. Then my waiter and another waiter on the clock were talking to another employee who was eating his lunch at a table next to us. The waitresses back was to us so it took five minutes for her to realize I needed a drink refill. Our food took 30 minutes to come out of the kitchen and there was only three of us we all ordered wings and fries. And to top it all off when my bill came they over charged me for my appetizer or so I thought. I asked to see a menu and the price was different from the one I had ordered from. I asked the waitress to grab me the menu I had ordered from and it was an old menu showing a different price. I asked to see the manager. The manager come to the table, he did not introduce himself just started talking. He said "I understand there was a pricing issue caused by an old menu. I apologize and I am willing to refund the difference." Then the manager attempted to hand me fifteen cents. Mind you I paid with a debt card. So not only did I not have soap to wash my hands, waited thirty minutes for ten deep fried wings, the manager insults me in front of my coworkers. He did not even began the interaction by introducing himself and asking what my concerns were he took the waitresses versions of my issues and assumed he knew what I wanted to see him for. This seems like a lost opportunity to get real time feedback from your customs to make your business better. I informed him of my real concerns which was not fifteen cents on a twenty dollar bill but rather the lack of manager oversight on seemingly simple items making sure employee's change the soap. Making sure that the wait staff doesn't spend time with coworkers on their lunch break in front of paying customers making them wait for drink refills, then not checking on the status of their order from the kitchen. Only an apology was given to me by the manager, not an explanation any reassurance that this would not happen to other customers or that the issues would be addressed. No, just an apology but I am the one that is sorry. Sorry I thought that anything had changed at this location from my last complaint to the manager. Good job upper management I guess if you don't care I don't and I'll take my business and all my coworkers business down the road to the green turtle. Where they value customer feedback not see it as an inconvenience! BWW -5 stars.
(1)Ma-e M.
On the Wings of love? Not this time, Honeybee. I ordered the traditional wings and boneless with different sauces: mild, teriyaki, parmersan garlic, and the best is the honey. I think I find the honey, my sauce for barbeque. This restaurant is pub like, high ceiling building, and spacious. A little bit disorganized in the kitchen as they forgot to give me my celery, carrots, and dipping sauce; but quite fast that I was not able to change my order.
(3)Matt R.
A friend and I got takeout from here tonight. My food was OK, but his order was incorrect - and this after I watched the takeout lady check the food three or four times before putting it in my bag (his was at the bottom of the bag; I checked the top box, but not the bottom one...should have known better). Had to wait a good 5-10 minutes (they said it would be ready in 15-20 minutes, and I got there 30 minutes later; the food was ready 5-10 thereafter) on seats that were not clean - how do the seats in the take-out waiting area get salt or sugar on them when the food isn't served there? Maybe the powder was someone's crack cocaine - the unlit parking lot makes the place look pretty sketchy come nightfall.
(2)Bermie H.
I happened to be there on $.50 wing Tuesdays. The place was packed but we still got seated quickly. Service is friendly. The Honey BBQ Bacon burger and onion rings were pretty good. However, the wings weren't on the same level. Yes, I know they're only $.50 each but the quality still shouldn't suffer. I recall the last time I had the spicy garlic wings in West Nyack they tasted much better. BWW is definitely a great atmosphere for sports enthusiasts. I happened to be there during a Flyers vs. Canadiens playoff game and the place was going nuts.
(3)Ro L.
My first time at Buffalo Wild Wings. The employees were friendly, the beer was cold and the wings were so good.
(5)Amy C.
Friendly staff, inexpensive, decent food, fastest service I've ever experienced (Including fast food) and cheap beer! What more could you ask for from a wing joint?
(5)Ron S.
BWW isn't what it started out to be. We used to go there every week, sometimes more. Now we are down to a few times a year. When it first opened the wings were impressive in size. A couple years later and they had dropped by 50%. We went there on 9-7-2011 and were completely disappointed. The wings have gotten even smaller, as if they could. I compared one to the size of my thumb. My thumb was bigger and I'm not a large person. Their excuse on this issue is that the venders can't get them any larger due to demand. That's not true. I caught a vender on the DL and asked him what gives on their wing size. He said simply that their wings come available in small, medium, and large. BWW has been ordering the smalls basically because their overhead is very high and patronage is down about 75% over 5 years ago. It's going to keep dropping if they continue to serve substandard wings. I used the bathroom while I was there and felt as if I should have gone immediately to the hospital for a tetnus shot. It was horrible! The sinks were very dirty and the towel dispensers were falling off of the wall. Even though it was not busy at the time of our visit we noticed several tables (about 6) that were not bused and cleaned even though the customers had left 20 minutes ago. I thought this location might be an exception until I recently vacationed in Chattenooga, TN. Their BWW was even worse and the staff was less than friendly. So I'd say this is a trend. If you just want a beer and watch the game you are pretty safe. If you want an outing with your family I'd say stay away.
(2)