He nearly closed this Macon mainstay for good. But Francar’s Buffalo Wings is back open

Carl Fambro came close to permanently closing this Macon mainstay. But in the end, he just couldn’t do it.

“Too much invested to walk away,” said Fambro, who with his wife, Sharon, have operated Francar’s Buffalo Wings for about 30 years — first on Log Cabin Drive and then in Mercer Village.

Besides, the 67-year-old Fambro said, “I was bored out of my mind.”

After just over a three-week hiatus, Francar’s Buffalo Wings reopened Friday in its regular spot at 1365 Linden Ave.

The restaurant known for its wings and hand-crafted sauces, including the legendary Mercer Gold, was doing a pretty brisk business, too.

‘Can’t you come back’

March 1, Fambro closed the restaurant, saying he wanted to explore his options from operating in a new way to closing permanently.

He didn’t want to close but the restaurant was struggling with a shortage of employees and not enough sales.

Fambro considered purchasing a new food truck with all the bells and whistles and keeping the restaurant as a base of operations and reopening with limited hours. But he also had his niece create a “closed permanently” sign

In the end, the food trucks he considered were too costly. Nonetheless, the sign he posted on the restaurant’s window Friday reads: “Yes, We’re OPEN.”

“I got a million calls,” Fambro said. “Why (are you closing)? Are you coming back? Can’t you come back.”

He was able to hire a few more employees.

“We’ll see,” Fambro said.

A Macon mainstay

March 13 marked 30 years since the restaurant first opened on Log Cabin Drive, with the move to Mercer Village in 2009.

Over the years, Fambro has created more than 40 sauces. A Mercer student suggested Fambro create his honey-based Mercer Gold.

A 1978 graduate of Mercer University and a graduate of Central High School in Macon, Fambro served in the U.S. Army before opening the restaurant with a former business partner.

“Everybody’s been missing us,” Sharon Fambro said with excitement in her voice. “Where you been? Don’t close no more.”

Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

This story was originally published March 24, 2023 at 2:50 PM.