Mars, Incorporated's Pringles brand is launching a three-SKU co-branded crisp collection with Buffalo Wild Wings, the largest sports bar chain in the United States, priced at $2.69 per can and set to reach national retail distribution in September 2026.
The Deal Structure
The partnership is Pringles' first flavor collaboration with a national restaurant brand in more than five years, according to Mars. Select retailers began stocking the line in July, with a full nationwide rollout scheduled for September. The collection comprises three flavors mapped directly to existing Buffalo Wild Wings menu sauces: Parmesan Garlic, Medium Buffalo, and Asian Zing. Buffalo Wild Wings operates more than 1,400 restaurants across nine global markets and is a subsidiary of Inspire Brands.
Why It Matters
For Mars — which absorbed the Pringles brand as part of its $36 billion acquisition of Kellanova, completed in 2025 — the launch tests whether a foodservice IP can accelerate velocity in the highly competitive salty snacks aisle. Co-branded limited editions have become a reliable lever for snack manufacturers seeking to capture incremental shelf placement and social media engagement without permanent SKU proliferation. Pringles competes in a crowded stackable-crisp segment alongside private-label entrants and adjacent better-for-you formats, making licensed flavor innovation an increasingly common traffic driver. The Buffalo Wild Wings name also gives the product an occasion anchor — game day and tailgating — at a moment when sports-adjacent marketing is commanding outsized attention from packaged-goods brands ahead of the NFL season.
"We've taken the unmistakable flavors people love from Buffalo Wild Wings and packed them into our iconic stackable crisps, creating a lineup that's made for every kickoff, watch party and tailgate," said Mauricio Jenkins, Salty Snacks Brand & Content Lead, Mars Snacking North America.
From the restaurant side, Tristan Meline, Brand President of Buffalo Wild Wings, framed the deal as a consumer acquisition tool. "It's a fun way to introduce new consumers to the brand and invite them to experience our legendary flavors firsthand," Meline said — signaling that Inspire Brands views retail CPG licensing as an extension of its off-premise growth strategy, which already includes the Buffalo Wild Wings GO fast-casual format.
Retail and Competitive Context
At $2.69 per can, the Pringles x Buffalo Wild Wings line sits at a modest premium relative to standard Pringles varieties, consistent with co-branded snack pricing norms. The timing aligns with a broader industry pattern: foodservice operators increasingly monetize their sauce and flavor IP through retail licensing as a margin-accretive revenue stream requiring minimal incremental capital. For retailers, sports-occasion snack sets are a proven traffic category in the weeks surrounding NFL kickoff. Buyers at grocery and mass-market chains have in recent years dedicated incremental display space to game-day snack programs, making September shelf placement competitively significant. The three-flavor breadth gives category managers flexibility to build a destination endcap or blend the SKUs into existing Pringles sections. Mars's combined snacking portfolio — which following the Kellanova deal includes Cheez-It and a range of legacy Mars confectionery — gives it substantial leverage in negotiating that real estate. Coverage of related snack brand licensing trends and Inspire Brands' off-premise expansion offers additional context for operators tracking this segment.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
