No. The beef shortening is not sourced halal, which disqualifies the fries for strict halal observers.

Are BWW fries safe for alpha-gal syndrome?

No. Beef shortening is mammalian fat, which triggers reactions in alpha-gal syndrome patients. BWW's fries are not safe for AGS.

Does Buffalo Wild Wings own Arby's?

No. Both Buffalo Wild Wings and Arby's are owned by Inspire Brands (headquartered in Atlanta). Inspire Brands also owns Sonic, Dunkin', Jimmy John's, and Baskin-Robbins. Inspire acquired BWW in 2018 and currently operates the chain under its restaurant portfolio.

Buffalo Wild Wings fries: beef shortening, Inspire Brands, allergens explained

Q: Are Buffalo Wild Wings fries vegetarian?

No — BWW's fries are cooked in beef shortening (rendered beef tallow). The cooking medium is animal-derived, which disqualifies the fries for vegetarians.

Q: What oil does Buffalo Wild Wings fry in?

Beef shortening — deodorized rendered beef tallow — per the chain's 2024 Allergen & Preparation Guide.

01

At a glance

Vegetarian

Not suitable

Cooked in beef shortening (rendered beef tallow). The cooking medium is animal-derived.

Vegan

Not suitable

Beef shortening is animal fat. Not vegan under any standard.

Gluten-Free

Not suitable

Shared fryer with wheat-breaded boneless wings. Disqualifying for celiac.

Dairy-Free

Caution

No dairy in fry recipe; shared fryer with milk-containing wing sauces.

Kosher

Not suitable

Non-kosher beef shortening; disqualifying.

Halal

Not suitable

Non-halal beef shortening; disqualifying.

Buffalo Wild Wings — the ~1,200-location sports bar chain owned by Inspire Brands (also parent to Arby's, Sonic, Dunkin', and Jimmy John's) — cooks its fries in beef shortening, as confirmed in the chain's 2024 Allergen & Preparation Guide. Beef shortening is deodorized rendered beef tallow — functionally identical to the tallow at Steak 'n Shake or Bojangles for diet-restriction purposes. This single fact disqualifies BWW's fries for vegetarians, vegans, alpha-gal syndrome sufferers, strict halal observers, and anyone keeping kosher. The chain is cognizant of this: the allergen guide calls the cooking medium out specifically on the first page. For non-restricted diners, the fries are standard natural-cut skin-on; for anyone avoiding mammalian fats, the chain is a hard pass.

02

Nutrition facts

BWW publishes nutrition data for its sides on the chain allergen page. Figures below are from the 2024 published nutrition disclosure.

Serving	Calories	Fat (g)	Sat fat (g)	Sodium (mg)	Carbs (g)
Natural-Cut Fries (regular)	420	20	7	820	55
Natural-Cut Fries (large)	660	32	11	1,290	87

Saturated fat is elevated relative to vegetable-oil-fried chains because beef shortening is primarily saturated fat (vs. ~15-20% for canola or soybean oil). This is the single clearest health difference between BWW's fries and most mainstream QSR fries.

03

Ingredients, line by line

The ingredient list is short, but the second item is the unusual one. The chain's allergen guide names beef shortening by name:

Potatoes

Natural-cut, skin-on. Russet variety.

Beef shortening

Deodorized rendered beef tallow. Mammalian fat; disqualifies the fries for vegetarians, vegans, alpha-gal, halal, and kosher diets.

Salt

Applied after frying.

Dextrose, modified food starch

Standard par-fry supplier additions.

04

Oil & fryer setup

Oil: Beef shortening — a deodorized rendered beef tallow — per the chain's 2024 Allergen & Preparation Guide. BWW is one of the few national QSR/casual-dining chains cooking in a mammalian fat; most comparable chains use vegetable-oil blends.

Fryer: Shared. The fry fryer at BWW is also used for the chain's traditional wings (which carry some sauces that include dairy), boneless wings (wheat-breaded), and other side items. For celiacs, this is disqualifying; the wings sauce and breading introduce wheat cross-contact into the shared oil.

The beef shortening decision at BWW predates the current seed-oil discourse; the chain has used beef shortening for decades, originally for flavor consistency reasons similar to Smashburger's position. In the MAHA-era context, this positions BWW favorably with the movement's criteria (traditional fat, shared fryer notwithstanding) and unfavorably with vegetarians, vegans, religious-dietary observers, and alpha-gal syndrome sufferers. The chain has shown no public signal of reformulating.

05

Top-9 allergen status

Allergen	Status
Milk	! Caution
Wheat	! Caution
Egg	! Caution
Soy	! Caution
Peanut	✓ Free
Tree nut	✓ Free
Fish	✓ Free
Shellfish	✓ Free
Sesame	✓ Free

Shared fryer with wheat-breaded boneless wings and milk-containing wing sauces. The beef-shortening cooking medium is not itself one of the Top-9 FDA allergens but is a mammalian fat with implications for alpha-gal syndrome diners (see FAQ).

06

Frequently asked questions

Are Buffalo Wild Wings fries vegetarian?

No. Buffalo Wild Wings cooks its Natural-Cut Fries in beef shortening — a deodorized rendered beef tallow, per the chain's own 2024 Allergen & Preparation Guide. This disqualifies the fries for vegetarians regardless of the plant-based potato and salt alongside. The chain is upfront about this: the beef shortening is named directly on the first page of the allergen disclosure.

Are Buffalo Wild Wings fries vegan?

No. Beef shortening is an animal fat. BWW's fries are not vegan under any standard.

What oil does Buffalo Wild Wings use for their fries?

Beef shortening — a deodorized rendered beef tallow. The chain's 2024 Allergen & Preparation Guide confirms this directly. BWW is one of a small number of US QSR/casual-dining chains cooking in mammalian fat; the beef shortening predates the current seed-oil discourse.

Are Buffalo Wild Wings fries halal?

No. The beef shortening is not sourced halal; standard rendered beef tallow comes from non-halal cattle processing. For strict halal observers, BWW's fries are disqualified. The chain is not halal-certified.

Are Buffalo Wild Wings fries safe for alpha-gal syndrome?

No. Beef shortening is mammalian fat and reliably triggers reactions in alpha-gal syndrome patients. BWW's fries are not safe for AGS. The chain is included on the Frypedia alpha-gal syndrome avoid list.

Are Buffalo Wild Wings fries gluten-free?

No. BWW's fries share a fryer with wheat-breaded boneless wings and other battered menu items. The fry itself contains no wheat as an ingredient, but the shared oil introduces wheat cross-contact that disqualifies the fry for celiac disease.

Does BWW use beef tallow in their fries?

Yes — the chain calls it "beef shortening" in its allergen guide, which is deodorized rendered beef tallow. Chemically identical for diet-restriction purposes. BWW is on the Frypedia Tallow Club list alongside Steak 'n Shake, Bojangles, Portillo's, and Smashburger.

Who owns Buffalo Wild Wings?

Inspire Brands — the Atlanta-based restaurant holding company that also owns Arby's, Sonic Drive-In, Dunkin', Jimmy John's, and Baskin-Robbins. Inspire acquired BWW in 2018 for approximately $2.9 billion.

08

Sources

Buffalo Wild Wings 2024 Allergen & Preparation Guide — Chain-wide allergen disclosure specifying beef shortening as the fry cooking medium. Available at buffalowildwings.com nutrition section.
Chowhound: Restaurant Chains With Beef Tallow Fries On The Menu — Industry roundup confirming BWW among chains using beef-fat-based frying medium. Published 2026.
Inspire Brands corporate disclosures — Parent-company context for ownership structure (Arby's, Sonic, BWW, Dunkin', Jimmy John's portfolio).

Found an error, outdated information, or a reformulation we haven't caught? Email corrections@frypedia.com. We update chain pages within 48 hours of confirming a change.

09

Compare with similar chains