The nickname for Buffalo Wild Wings that comes from its original three-word name is BW3.
The chain began in 1982 as Buffalo Wild Wings & Weck. “Weck” refers to beef on weck, a regional roast-beef sandwich served on a kummelweck roll. The initials of Buffalo, Wild, Wings and the final “3” in the nickname’s spelling produced BW3.
The company later standardized its national name as Buffalo Wild Wings in 1998, but BW3 remained a familiar nickname, especially in parts of Ohio and the Midwest. Other nicknames, including B-Dubs and BWW, developed later and do not explain the original abbreviation.
The name also connects the restaurant to its early menu concept: it was designed as a place serving Buffalo-style wings alongside beef on weck. That sandwich is the detail often missed when people assume the “3” simply stands for three types of wings or three words in the current name.