AMHERST, N.Y. — Duff's on Sheridan Drive opened a little later than usual Sunday morning as the restaurant remembered and celebrated the life of Ron Duff.
In a Facebook post, Joe Duff reflected on his dad's legacy in helping make wings a Western New York staple.
Ron was 7 years old when his mom opened the first Duff's at Sheridan Drive and Millersport Highway in 1946. It would take 23 years before Duff's would sell its first chicken wing.
Joe says his dad learned how to make wings from John Young at Wings N’ Things in the late 60s, noting, "He put his own touch on their instructions. He made the wings how he liked them, which was saucier and spicier than most places were making them at the time. And as a matter of fact, this is also the reason he came up with the “Medium is Hot” warning at Duff’s. The warning is an attempt to tell our customers that our medium-flavored wings are most restaurants hot flavored wings, so order with caution."
According to the post, Duff's would sell about 20 pounds of wings a week when they first started. Today it's up to 14,000.
Ron cooked wings for the next 35 years before his rotator cuffs stopped working from shaking countless baskets of wings. Ron never left his restaurant.
Joe says, "he’d never ask an employee to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. You’d often find him cleaning the bathroom or sweeping the parking lot."
Joe called his dad "a stickler for excellence," and his dedication to the WNY staple was unmatched. Ron deeply cared about the people who worked with him and never jeopardized quality for profits.
"Duff’s is a special place. And it’s a special place largely because of my dad, Ron Duff … but also because of so many special people, far too many to name here, who worked with him throughout the years to make it that way," the post said.
Joe added, "You were a legend not just because of the restaurant you built but because of the man you were."
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