When Yale Schrero heard that his friend’s dog had died, he immediately bought comfort food from Buffalo Joe’s, where an employee slipped him extra cookies. Eighteen years later, the caring nature of the restaurant’s staff hasn’t changed, said longtime customer Schrero.
“The people who go into Buff Joe’s, they’re treated like family,” he said.
The 41-year-old restaurant known for its chicken wings used to be a Northwestern hangout. But owner Paul Prudden, the founder’s son, said fewer students visit now.
“Pre-COVID, we had a lot more Northwestern students coming in,” he said.
Despite the restaurant’s longevity, Kellogg graduate student Daniel Fox said students have “a lack of awareness” about Buffalo Joe’s.
Still, roughly 50% of the restaurant’s summer business comes from students, said Dorothy Adams, the restaurant’s assistant manager and an employee of 33 years. But that percentage was higher in the past, she added, demonstrating the overall trend of decreasing student interest.
Schrero said when he attended Illinois State University, a college friend would make a monthly five-hour round-trip trek to Buffalo Joe’s for a double party pan of wings.
Buffalo Joe’s was “pretty popular with students back in the ‘80s,” said Mike McKewin (College of Arts and Sciences ‘88). “Back then, there wasn’t as many choices of places for students to go. There weren’t coffee shops. There was no Starbucks.”
Today, many more off-campus eating options, such as Chili’s, vie for students’ attention, Fox said.
Fox, who’s from Glenview, heard about the restaurant from high school friends in Evanston. But to students not from the area, Buffalo Joe’s is a “one-off, small, niche, not well-advertised or marketed local business,” he said.
The restaurant spends no money on marketing, instead relying on word of mouth, Prudden said. As a result, students are less likely to be aware of its existence. The restaurant also doesn’t use food delivery services, so students who rely on apps like UberEats may never know about Buffalo Joe’s, Prudden said.
Yet another hurdle: its cash-only policy. Many people don’t carry bills, and though Buffalo Joe’s has an ATM with a $2.75 fee, the rule can be a red flag. Others find cash a hassle, even if they have it on hand, “because then you have to deal with change,” McKewin said.
Students may also be unfamiliar with the restaurant because they’re trying to avoid fried foods, he added. “Fried chicken wings [aren’t] the healthiest option out there,” Schrero said.
Though Buffalo Joe’s offers salads – and even stand-alone celery – students have to look at the menu inside to find these items, as opposed to going somewhere like Sweetgreen that is known for clean eating.
“Healthy eating is a much bigger thing today, even with young people,” McKewin said. When he was a student, “there was more of a propensity to eat junkier food [than] awareness of health.”
The most current cause for the popularity decline is the construction on Northwestern’s Ryan Field, Prudden said.
Before the construction, Northwestern game days caused “shoulder to shoulder” crowds in Buffalo Joe’s, he said. Students venturing to the stadium would stop by the restaurant for tailgating food or post-game snacks. But now that the stadium is closed, students aren’t drawn into Evanston for games, so “downtown business has suffered,” Prudden said.
Though many current Northwestern students aren’t attached to the restaurant, alumni look back on it fondly. “It was just a casual place,” McKewin said. “But it was like a little beacon.”
