EAST AURORA, N.Y. (WIVB) — Customers may be greeted by a sea of Bills’ attire, along with an array of wings, upon entering Bar-Bill Tavern on a weekend the team has a home game.
“We love the Buffalo Bills, obviously it’s our hometown team and we like that we are able to be a part of the Buffalo Bills culture,” said Kaileigh Falkner, the marketing manager at Bar-Bill.
The family-owned business has been open in East Aurora for 57 years and has since expanded to include takeout and two other locations, one in Clarence and one in Rochester. During Bills home game weekends, the restaurant can expect to make around 14,000 chicken wings for local Bills fans and fans from all over alike.
“Painting the chicken wings is definitely our staple,” said Melissa Schultz, the tavern’s general manager. “We believe in consistency for the chicken wings, so that’s why we paint them to make sure that there’s a same amount on every side.”
Bar-Bill opens its doors at 11:30 a.m. every day, but when the Bills are playing in Orchard Park, they open even earlier to make sure fans can get all the takeout they need for their tailgate.
“This year we decided to open at 9 am. for takeout for Bills home 1 p.m. games just so that if people wanted to grab some food on their way to the tailgate or grab stuff early, if they’re having a party at their house, that that would be an option for them and it’s been great,” Falkner said.
The restaurant is full of traditions, with one being their old mug club display. It represents the cheers that people have had at the bar over the years. One mug with a very familiar name sits on the shelf along with other customized mugs from the community.
“Josh Allen does have a mug on the wall,” Falkner said. “He isn’t able to come in and dine very often because he’s obviously very popular, but it is there so people can buy him drinks if they wanted to.”
For more information on the Bar-Bill Tavern, click here.