“I was pretty messed up by the time the sun rose,” SHS senior Sam Mercer said matter-of-factly about his Buffalo Wild Wings excursion on Sunday, March 13th. From his morning at church, to selfies with strangers, his first Red Bull, and the coveted prize of free wings for a year, you could say Mercer had a pretty “Wild” weekend.  

Mercer’s Sunday started out quite normally, but his weekend turned into an adventure after one of his buddies from church mentioned a promotional contest at Buffalo Wild Wings. Capturing the interest of wing lovers from all over the South Shore, Buffalo Wild Wings was offering the first 100 customers who lined up at the restaurant’s new Hanover location one free order of wings every week for a year. Mercer promptly rounded up his favorite wing-men and hit the South Shore’s newest spicy hot spot.

When asked what motivated his decision to participate in the Buffalo Wild Wings promotion, Mercer stated, “I asked my parents, and I wasn’t sure about it, but then we decided to go.” He said, “It sounded fun, and I didn’t mind missing school.”

As for the details of the promotion, Mercer was initially clueless. He thought all he had to do was wait overnight in line, but it turned out to be much more involved. Patrons waiting outside of Buffalo Wild Wings had to stay awake all night and collect stickers in paper boats that usually hold the franchise’s famed French fries. Mercer received eleven of the twelve possible stickers; however, much to his disappointment, he was seventh in line. Mercer said, “There were a few girls there since Friday, because they thought it opened on Saturday.”

In addition to the sticker competition, there was entertainment: trivia games, Family Guy episodes, and, of course, Minute-to-Win-It. Regarding his Minute-to-Win-It experience, Mercer said, “You had to get a glass bottle up using a string and a wooden circle. I attempted, but I did fail because it was difficult when I only had a minute to win it, and I did not win it.”

In the wee hours of the morning, Mercer finally received his prize offer: six boneless or eight bone-in wings per week for an entire year. Mercer was discouraged to learn his wing winnings do not roll over week-to-week. (Talk about a mild offer.) Nevertheless, Mercer said, “The experience was worth it — I missed school, and those are wings I don’t have to pay for.” He was also thrilled to enjoy his first Red Bull, which he said the Buffalo Wild Wings staff kindly provided.

When the new Hanover establishment finally opened, Mercer and his friends were among the first patrons to be seated. Mercer said the all-nighter made him feel “messed up in the head.” He said, “I had no idea where I was — I couldn’t really pinpoint my exact location in the real world.” He ate some wings, but the fatigue drowned out any enjoyment of the flavor. Mercer said he decided against eating any hot wings because he “does not do well with spicy.” Proving himself a true midnight warrior, Sam Mercer will undoubtedly enjoy his wild wing winnings for weeks to come.