MEMBER NEWS
JK&T Wings Locations Set Aside Parking
Spaces for Purple Heart Recipients
A
lthough 1,500 miles separate JK&T Wings’ Shrewsbury,
Massachusetts, and Bossier City, Louisiana, stores, the two
Buffalo Wild Wings® locations are gaining attention for their
shared commitment to military personnel. Both restaurants have
painted designated purple parking spaces for wounded warriors.
Designated as a handicap space, the spots are purple and
set aside for Purple Heart recipients. The Bossier City location features a sign declaring, “Reserved Combat Wounded,
Wounded Warriors Family Support,” and is emblazoned with
the Purple Heart medal.
Shrewsbury installed the combat-injured veteran space in
early May while having the parking lot seal coated. Pioneer Seal
Coating brought the idea to Regional Manager Scot Neri, as well
as the franchisees, who were more than happy to include the
spaces at the location.
“JK&T always is willing to support the troops. The troops
put their lives on the line every day to defend us. This is our way
of giving back. We also do a military discount every day in the
restaurant,” Shrewsbury General Manager Michael Gardner
said. “Pioneer Seal Coating came to us, as it was a project they
were working on for months, and they decided BWW Shrewsbury would be a great place to start. We were the first business in
central Massachusetts to have this done. It is a great honor to be
able to give back every day.”
JK&T Wings’ Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, Buffalo Wild Wings®
installed the company’s first parking space for wounded military
veterans. The idea spread to the Bossier City, Louisiana, location
within months.
“There are a lot of retired service
members locally, and it is our way to
show our appreciation for them.”
– David Helferich, Bossier City general manager
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SCORE | 2016 Issue 3
THE
After seeing the idea in Shrewsbury, Bossier City’s BWW,
located near Barksdale Air Force Base, thought the gesture of
gratitude was an appropriate feature to include. The spot was
installed Aug. 5 at the Louisiana location and featured on the
local TV news a few days later.
“There are a lot of retired service members locally, and it is
our way to show our appreciation for them,” said Bossier City
General Manager David Helferich. “We jumped on the opportunity as soon as we heard about it. We are looking at doing this in
Shreveport, Louisiana, as well, and hopefully, all of our locations
jump on board and do this.”
Both BWW locations reported receiving positive feedback
from the community. “There have been a number of tables that
have pulled me aside to thank us for the spot. They either had
veterans or active duty military in their family or they themselves
were military,” Gardner said.
Helferich said the purple parking space set a trend with
other Bossier City locales, including churches and businesses,
which have subsequently added spaces. S