Yes/No Foods: Boneless Wings Taste Test, Sonic vs. Buffalo Wild Wings


*Disclosure: Sonic has sponsored this blog post. The opinions expressed, however, are my own.

 I'm sure most of you have been to Buffalo Wild Wings for boneless wings, as it's a national chain. And perhaps you've been to Sonic as well. But did you know that Sonic now carries boneless wings?

I decided to put my old standby, B-dubs, to the test; but first, I started with Sonic's wings.


Although the closest Sonic to me is in Madison Heights, MI, I stopped by the Commerce Township location, as it's closest to my parents' place. I can vaguely recall doing drive-through there a while back, but I had not been to a Sonic in a long time.

I decided to get two orders of the new boneless wings: BBQ (covered in a sauce made with brown sugar) and the Asian Sweet Chili, made in a soy sauce with ginger, lemongrass, and spicy red pepper flakes. I did not try the Buffalo boneless wings, as I dislike sauces that are very spicy or hot.

I also got a "mini" size portion of both the onion rings and the pickle chips (fried pickles). I like that they offered "mini" as a size, because that way I could sample a bit of everything without going way overboard on calories. I will say that the drive-through took a few minutes longer than I had expected, but they said they were making the wings fresh (so I was fine with waiting).

My dad preferred the regular BBQ boneless wings to the Asian Sweet Chili, as he tends to not like any spice at all, and I preferred the Asian Sweet Chili, as it had a little bit of a kick. Both flavors were softer in consistency than I thought they would be, but still good.

The wings are priced at $3.99 for six, $7.79 for twelve, and $14.99 for twenty-four, which is an excellent deal, in my opinion - that's about 67 cents per wing, if you do the order of six like I did, or about 65 cents if you get twelve wings.


Two days later, a coworker and I headed to Buffalo Wild Wings (henceforth referred to as "B-dubs" for this post) for lunch. I've actually never been there for lunch before, and I was pleasantly surprised to see they had some specials - $9.99 gets you 8 boneless or traditional wings, fries, and a soft drink. Considering that their wings are normally a bit pricey, this was an excellent deal.


I've tried B-dubs' Asian Zing before, so my friend and I opted to get the Chipotle Cherry Sting (limited-time only flavor) and the honey BBQ, which is my favorite there. What I like the best about B-dubs' wings is the crunch that it has (which Sonic's wings actually lack, since it's a softer breading), and these did not disappoint.

Sonic's Asian Sweet Chili wings are actually less spicy than B-dubs', which I liked, as I mentioned before that I don't like super spicy wings. B-dubs' honey BBQ wings always have a nice sweeter touch to them, which I do prefer a little bit over Sonic's (regular) BBQ wings.

Left: Buffalo Wild Wings honey BBQ boneless wings, R: the Chipotle Cherry Sting wings

The Chipotle Cherry Sting was an interesting flavor, but probably one I wouldn't order again, as it tasted similar to the honey BBQ, except spicier with a tiny hint of cherry.

We went to the B-dubs' location in Troy, MI, and service was great, which was impressive since lunchtime is usually busy. I work a short distance away from that location, and I'd definitely return for lunch, as $9.99 for the boneless wings basket is not a bad deal. B-dubs also does their traditional wings Tuesdays and boneless Thursdays where wings are offered at a discounted price.

So, who is the winner?

  • The main PRO for me for Sonic was definitely taste + price. At $7.79 for twelve wings, I'm going to head to Sonic when I want a quick and inexpensive meal - at B-dubs, twelve wings would probably cost you more than $9.99-$10.99, I would guesstimate.
  • The wings tasted good overall, but a few of the last wings I tried had a fatty middle, which I definitely disliked. 5 of the 6 wings were fine, though.
  • My dad called the BBQ flavor a "nice BBQ taste, not overwhelming," which I would agree with.
  • For takeout, the wings came in a small bag, but the bag is open at one end - this made takeout kind of hard, since I didn't want them sliding around in my car (and possibly falling out of the bag). The onion rings and pickle chips came in a regular brown bag, though.


  • Taste-wise, Buffalo Wild Wings still wins for me, because of the "crunch factor" - I love my wings crunchy. The $9.99 lunch special was also a decent deal for lunch, just because of everything that was included.
  • A major con for me with B-dubs are the prices - not counting their specials on Tuesday and Thursday, an order of wings with fries and a soft drink will probably run you $13-15, depending on what you order.
  • The coworker I went with liked both the honey BBQ and the Chipotle Cherry Sting, but said that she would try other sauces next time just for variety.

Which restaurant is your favorite of the two, and why? What is your favorite boneless wings flavor?

Popular Posts

Review: Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins

Image
*Disclosure: I received a gift card to try the new Polar Pizza at Baskin-Robbins. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. Baskin-Robbins launched its Polar Pizza last month (July), as I talked about in my recent post about them, and because this past month was crazy busy for me, I didn't get to try the Polar Pizza until this past Sunday. My parents and I went to the combined Dunkin' Donuts / Baskin-Robbins near them, in Novi, MI, to split one of the ice cream pizzas.
Read more

Upcoming and GIVEAWAY: Mamma Mia! at the Fisher Theatre, Detroit, April 23-28 {ends Dec. 12}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with Broadway in Detroit. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. MAMMA MIA! will be playing at the Fisher this April, from April 23-28, and I'm excited to see it—I'm a big fan of the movies but I've never seen the Broadway show. About the show: Since premiering in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, the irresistible musical has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, all unfolding to the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, has now been seen live on stage by 65 million people across the world and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again. To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages grossing more than $4 billion at the box office. MAMMA MIA! opened on Broadway in 2001 where it played for a record-breaking 14 year
Keep reading

GIVEAWAY: Duel in the D, February 10 at Little Caesars Arena, Detroit {ends 1/10}

Image
*Disclosure: I have an ongoing media relationship with 313 Presents. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I had a great time at Duel in the D last year—I'm a UM alum, but I had only ever seen ONE hockey game in my life at that point, and this was the second one.  I'm looking forward to it again this year, and one of my lucky readers will win a 4-pack of tickets to experience it as well! About the game: The return of college hockey is headed to Little Caesars Arena with the annual “Duel in the D,” presented by Meijer, set for Saturday, February 10 at 8:30 p.m.  The fans of Hockeytown will be treated to one of the most intense and exciting rivalries in college hockey, as the Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans men’s ice hockey teams will add another chapter in their storied rivalry and clash for the “Iron D” Trophy.  The “Duel in the D” matchup features the most-played rivalry in college hockey. The game will mark the 346th all-time meeting between the h
Keep reading