Anchor Bar, credited with inventing the original buffalo wings, opens in Oswego

OSWEGO — Buffalo wings are proving very popular among Oswego area residents, the owner of Anchor Bar said after only one month of operation in the village.

Anchor Bar opened Oct. 3 at 2440 Route 34 in the former Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que location. It is the first Illinois location for the franchise known as the birthplace of the Buffalo chicken wing, with roots in Buffalo, New York.

Anchor Bar Oswego owner Samm Dimech said the restaurant has been very busy since it opened.

“I can’t say enough about the village of Oswego and the people around it,” Dimech said. “My kids grew up playing sports in Oswego, and we met a lot of good people. I thought the area could use something like this.”

Dimech said he decided to buy the building because the the location is 10 minutes from his house.

At the time, Dimech had no plans to open an Anchor Bar, but knew he wanted to open a wing bar. He researched several concepts, and liked the food and the people at Anchor Bar the best.

Dimech said business has been running smoothly outside of a few first-week hiccups, when they had to close early after selling out of wings.

Dimech said because Anchor Bar only serves the biggest wings, and they can never be frozen, it can be difficult to keep up with demand when they are that busy, as they can’t supplement with just any other wings.

Dimech previously owned a couple of Jimmy John’s in the area, but said the wing and sports bar concept has been very different.

“This is my first endeavor in something like this,” Dimech said. “There’s a learning curve. It’s a lot of work, but it’s been good. I come home and I’m tired, but I feel good.”

Anchor Bar is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday to Saturday.

The inside of the restaurant has a sports bar feel with more than 30 TVs surrounding the bar and in the dining areas. Dimech said they have been very busy on game days. In the summer, their patio is outfitted with tables, couches, lounge chairs and nine more TVs.

The Anchor Bar in Oswego is the only location that serves cheese curds, chopped salad and garlic Parmesan wings.

Dimech said while the most popular item is always going to be wings, their Roast Beef On Weck has been well received by patrons.

Dimech said as the business hits its stride and their kitchen gets up to speed, they have a lot of changes planned. They plan to add desserts and occasional specials to the menu, and hope to expand the patio area and offer live music on weekends.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Anchor Bar and its famous Buffalo wings to Oswego,” Village President Troy Parlier said in a news release earlier this year. “It will be a tremendous place to enjoy great food and drinks and watch sports. Oswego has so many great things happening right now, including Anchor Bar choosing Oswego as their first location in the state.”