SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - After sitting vacant for the better part of the last year and a half, the space that once housed Seau's the restaurant opened its doors to customers again Monday.
The new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant is heating up Mission Valley, with some customersguys taking on the "Blazin' Challenge," downing wings drenched in the hottest of 16 barbeque sauces, and trying to do in under six minutes.
The restaurant features its signature hot wings, 16 different sauces, beer and sports in a place quite familiar to sports fans.
"I came because this used to be Seau's. I used to come here all the time," a customer said.
It's been 19 months since Seau's closed its doors for good, shortly after Junior Seau's death. For a brief time, the space was used by a church, but now it's been transformed back into a gathering place for sports fans and families, with a tribute to Seau as a reminder to all.
"(Seau) used to come down and say hi to us all the time. We used to be over there in the corner, there's no more corner over there Yeah, we had a great time here and hopefully we will again," a customer told CBS News 8.
"With us coming in I think that people will remember Junior Seau and also remember this is the home that Junior originally built, at least the shell," general manager Robert Jones said.
The inside has a completely new look.
"We're more of the stadium feel, with the brick and the interior of a ballpark. We have the Jumbotron which is our biggest feature in the restaurant," Jones said. "We have over 80-plus TVs in the restaurant as well, so it really brings that sports experience to the guest."
If you're not that into sports, you can play with one of their interactive gaming tablets for free.
"For somebody who's dining by themselves, sitting by themselves, it's a great distraction I guess, in between waiting for your food and beer," a customer said.
And this location, located at the Westfield Mission Valley mall, may just end up attracting a lot of single diners.
"It's great, I finally have someplace to go while my girlfriend goes shopping. This is perfect," a customer said.
The restaurant chain has a loyal following after opening up three decades ago in Columbus, Ohio. Now it has some newfound fans.
"We like the food much better than anywhere else we've tried," a customer said.
