Buffalo Wild Wings coming to Sterling: Restaurant will join new shopping center on east end

STERLING – By the end of May, a new restaurant will be serving up its spicy chicken wings on the east end of town.

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar will be one of the first two tenants in Sterling Commons Shopping Center, now under construction east of Menards.

The 5,600-square-foot sports bar and grill will provide 65 to 70 full- and part-time jobs, said district manager Russell Ivie, of Morton. His wife, Paula, will own this restaurant; she also owns Buffalo Wild Wings franchises in Macomb, Mattoon and Galesburg.

Ivie said he expects the sports bar and grill to do well. "I like the concept, and the concept is booming" nationally, he said.

Interior work will begin in February, he said.

The developer, First Rockford, is building a 12,674-square-foot building at the site. Pankaj Mahajan, its director of retail development, would not disclose details of either business.

"The best thing for our retailers is for them to tell you what their plans are," Mahajan said.

First Rockford and the new tenants plan to make an announcement next week, he said.

This is the first of eight buildings the company plans to build at the site, as part of a 15- to 18-store shopping center.  Menards plans to anchor the center, but officials have said they will not start construction until a buyer for its current location is found.

To apply

For now, Buffalo Wild Wings is looking for managers for its future restaurant in Sterling.  To apply, e-mail a resume to Russell Ivie at r.ivie@comcast.net; his fax is 309-263-1284.