Quick Answer
Is the Buffalo Wild Wings bottled sauce worth buying?Buffalo Wild Wings Medium and Hot bottled sauces score 7.4/10 on average. They accurately replicate the restaurant's sauce flavor — which is their main selling point. The Medium is milder than classic buffalo (very approachable); the Hot is closer to standard buffalo heat. They're thicker than Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce, produce a decent coat on wings, and are reasonably priced. Worth buying if you specifically want the BWW restaurant experience at home or want a pre-formulated sauce with good consistency. Frank's remains the better value for pure buffalo flavor.
Brand Overview
Buffalo Wild Wings (commonly called BWW or B-Dubs) is one of the largest wing restaurant chains in the United States, known for its extensive sauce and seasoning menu. The chain launched a retail bottled sauce line to extend brand presence into grocery retail and give fans access to restaurant flavors at home.
The retail sauces are produced under license and formulated to replicate the restaurant offerings. The most commonly available retail varieties are Parmesan Garlic, Medium, Hot, Asian Zing, and Honey BBQ — though availability varies significantly by region.
BWW Medium Sauce
BWW Medium is genuinely mild — it accurately represents the restaurant's medium as a flavor-forward, low-heat sauce. The heat registers at approximately 200–350 SHU, making it milder than Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce (300–450 SHU). The trade-off: more flavor complexity. The medium has a slightly sweeter profile with a detectable garlic note.
BWW Hot Sauce
The Hot variety is more interesting than the Medium. At approximately 400–600 SHU, it sits in the classic buffalo range. The vinegar presence is more prominent than in the Medium — closer to the standard hot sauce-forward buffalo profile. This is the BWW sauce most likely to satisfy someone used to Frank's as their baseline.
BWW Hot vs. Frank's RedHot Buffalo: Head-to-Head
BWW Hot vs Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce
| Attribute | BWW Hot | Frank's RedHot Buffalo |
|---|---|---|
| SHU (approx.) | 400–600 | 300–450 |
| Vinegar character | Medium | Prominent |
| ★ Consistency | Thicker | Medium |
| Garlic flavor | Detectable | Subtle |
| Sweetness | Slight | Minimal |
| Brand recognition | Restaurant chain tie-in | The category benchmark |
| Price | Similar | Similar |
Overall Verdict
Buffalo Wild Wings bottled sauces occupy a specific niche: they're for fans of the restaurant who want to replicate that experience at home. The sauces do this well — they taste like BWW.
For people who don't have strong BWW brand loyalty:
- The Medium is too mild for traditional buffalo wing flavor
- The Hot is a legitimate option in the crowded wing sauce field but doesn't definitively outperform Frank's
- The Parmesan Garlic variety (when available) is notably good and distinct from most competitors
💡 The BWW Sauces Worth Seeking Out
If you're going to try the BWW retail line, the Parmesan Garlic sauce is the most distinctive product — there's no mainstream equivalent with the same flavor profile. The Medium and Hot are solid but relatively interchangeable with other commercial wing sauces. The Asian Zing (sweet-spicy with sesame) is also unique and doesn't have a clear direct competitor on store shelves.