Waiting for wings: People line up for free food at Duluth restaurant

Trent Avey had a simple answer to why he and his brother set up camp in front of Duluth’s new Buffalo Wild Wings around 10 a.m. Friday — 73 hours before today’s 11 a.m. public opening.

“For the wings, man,” he said Sunday afternoon, sitting in a chair outside a tent pitched just feet from the restaurant’s front door.

For his persistence Avey, his brother Travis, and the first 98 people in line behind them will receive six free wings weekly for a year at the restaurant.

Whether it was the prospect of freebies or of a good time, a number of

people had gathered near the restaurant in the old Gander Mountain building by Sunday afternoon. Tents were pitched on any level patch of grass. Some people where tossing footballs, baseballs, bean bags and playing street hockey. Others sat in circled lawn chairs, visiting and people watching. Speakers set up behind a hatchback banged out rap music.

“It is an experience,” Christian Minotte of Duluth said. “It’s fun. It’s a good time. I’m excited for it to open and we can hang out.”

Construction on the restaurant begin in December. The restaurant will be halved into bar and restaurant, with a roofed patio and a capacity of about 240 people. TVs will be almost everywhere, ranging in size from 42 to 100 inches.

“We’re very excited to be in the Duluth market,” said Sue Benson, a regional manager for Buffalo Wild Wings who was in Duluth to help ready the restaurant for today’s opening. “The buzz in the community about us coming in has been great.”

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