John Bowie stands as the Brand President of Buffalo Wild Wings, a cornerstone brand within Inspire Brands, a dynamic multi-brand restaurant company. Inspire Brands boasts a portfolio encompassing over 32,600 Arby’s, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC locations globally, supported by a vast network of over 675,000 company and franchise team members. Bowie’s role is pivotal in shaping the strategic direction of Buffalo Wild Wings, overseeing crucial aspects such as marketing initiatives, franchise operations, and supply chain management. Furthermore, he is instrumental in nurturing and maintaining strong relationships with the brand’s extensive franchise community. His leadership is central to the ongoing development and success of Buffalo Wild Wings, and by extension, contributes to the collective growth of Inspire Brands.
Before ascending to the position of Brand President, Bowie served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Buffalo Wild Wings. In this capacity, he directed North American operations for a substantial network of over 600 company-owned restaurants and more than 500 franchise locations. His responsibilities encompassed a wide spectrum of operational services, including the development and implementation of training programs, optimizing operational systems and equipment, ensuring stringent quality assurance standards, and driving performance management strategies. This deep operational experience provided a robust foundation for his subsequent leadership role.
Bowie’s career trajectory within Inspire Brands is marked by consistent success and a proven ability to drive operational excellence. Prior to his role at Buffalo Wild Wings, he held the position of COO at Arby’s. There, he managed global operations across more than 1,000 company-owned and 2,400 franchised restaurants spanning seven countries. Similar to his Buffalo Wild Wings role, he spearheaded all operational services, focusing on training enhancements, restaurant service optimization, and upholding rigorous quality assurance protocols. Notably, during his tenure as Arby’s Senior Vice President of Operations for the Northeast Region, the brand experienced significant financial growth. Global system sales increased by 20% to $3.7 billion, average annual restaurant sales grew by 22%, and restaurant margins saw an impressive increase of over 300 basis points. These achievements underscore his capacity to drive substantial improvements and growth within large-scale restaurant operations.
Earlier in his career, Bowie served as President of U.S. Operations for Church’s Chicken. Reporting directly to the CEO, he held the number two executive position, overseeing a substantial business with $1.2 billion in revenue, $50 million in EBITDA, and 1,300 restaurants. He led a large and diverse team of over 125 restaurant professionals across key business functions, including operations, training and development – reflecting a commitment to what could be seen as an internal “Buffalo Wild Wings Learning Hub” approach to building expertise within the organization – finance, marketing, human resources, franchising, development, and quality assurance. His broad responsibilities at Church’s Chicken highlight his versatility and comprehensive understanding of restaurant business management.
Further demonstrating his extensive background in the restaurant industry, Bowie also served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of Friendly’s Ice Cream Corporation. In this role, he was responsible for all facets of restaurant operations for over 500 restaurants. Additionally, his career includes significant operational and marketing roles at Wendy’s International, Inc., both domestically and internationally, providing him with a global perspective on restaurant management and market dynamics.
Beyond his corporate responsibilities, Bowie is actively involved in community service, serving on the Board of Trustees for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. His commitment extends to education, holding a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. John Bowie’s career trajectory showcases a deep and multifaceted expertise in restaurant leadership and operations, embodying the principles of continuous learning and development that are essential to thriving in the competitive restaurant industry and hinting at the kind of leadership that would champion initiatives like a “buffalo wild wings learning hub” to foster growth and excellence.
