Wing Zone featured in News & Record

Wing Zone was recently featured in an article in the News-Record titled “Wing Zone opening more North Carolina locations,” which was published online on Sept. 30. The article, written by Carl Wilson, provides details of Wing Zone’s plans to increase the number of restaurants in the Greensboro area and includes quotes from Wing Zone CEO Matt Friedman. A portion of the article is included below and can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

Wing Zone opening more North Carolina locations
By Carl Wilson

When University of Florida students Matt Friedman and Adam Scott started selling Buffalo wings out of their fraternity house kitchen in 1991, they probably never dreamed feeding hungry students would become a business of 100 franchises in 25 states.

Friedman, CEO of Wing Zone, unveiled plans for expansion in North Carolina, including Greensboro.

Friedman says there are some “preliminary and solid opportunities” in North Carolina. Seven to nine new locations are possible in the next 18 to 24 months, including a Greensboro location next year.

“We’ve had some growth there and decided to get back there,” Friedman says.

Wing Zone franchises have opened in several major North Carolina markets including Winston-Salem, Charlotte and Raleigh. A location opened at 2528 S. Church St. in Burlington in August.

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Flavorholics Celebrate: Wing Zone Launches Next Flavor Revolution with Flavor Rubs

Wing Zone, one of the nation’s fastest growing chicken wing takeout/delivery chains, is heating up its flavor profile with three new Flavor Rubs. The new flavor rubs are now available to consumers in 10 test markets across the nation.

In addition to Wing Zone’s 15 award-winning flavor choices, consumers are now able to expand their taste buds with new Flavor Rub flavors including Blackend Voodoo, Cool Ranch and Sea Salt and Vinegar. Unlike the traditional buffalo wing sauces, Wing Zone’s Flavor Rubs are composed entirely of dry spices, offering Wing Zone consumers an explosion of flavor with less mess. The Flavor Rubs can also be added to other Wing Zone menu items including hamburgers, sandwiches and chicken fingers.

“Call it our taste and hunger stimulus package,” said Matt Licht, owner of the East Meadows, NY Flavor Rub test location. “We are pulling out the red carpet for wing eaters all over the nation. I can promise you that once you taste our product, you will be a customer for life.”

Wing Zone has become famous over recent years by not only topping the 100-unit mark and releasing its cluster growth strategy in which multiple Wing Zone locations will open in surrounding communities, but also being featured on the Food Channel, TODAY Show, ESPN and in USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal for its founder’s story and flavor bursting sauces.

Founders Matt Friedman and Adam Scott created the chain that dares you to not crave more of its tasty wings in 1991 at their University of Florida fraternity kitchen, where they cooked up wings and homemade flavors to deliver the award winning Buffalo chicken wings all over the campus. Soon thereafter, the founders began expanding their concept, later settling on Atlanta to headquarter their franchising efforts.

To support Wing Zone’s progressive saucing style, Wing Zone Flavorholics who try the flavors are encouraged to tell the Wing Zone-nation all about it via its Social Media outlets. Friedman said the chain will interact residents in their personal space, daily, via these outlets.

"We encourage our friends to follow us, Tweet us, friend us and interact with us via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube," Friedman said. "We are looking forward to connecting with Wing Zone Flavorholics to find out just how delicious they think our Flavor Rubs are."

Wing Zone featured in QSR Magazine

Wing Zone was recently featured in an article in QSR called “Ones to Watch: Wing Zone” which was built from a interview with Matt Friedman, CEO and Founder of Wing Zone. The article discusses the brand’s journey from its inception in 1991 to the 83-unit franchise it is today. The article discusses the extensive flavor profile that Wing Zone offers to its adventurous consumers, including the new flavor rubs. The article also highlights the other food options that Wing Zone has added to its menu which include fries, cheese sticks and fried mushrooms. The article also discusses the different restaurant concepts that Wing Zone continues to add to its footprint, like the newest freestanding drive-thru. Click here to read more.

One to Watch: Wing Zone
From frat house to budding franchise, find out how Wing Zone grew into a $40 million company.

The idea for Wing Zone was hatched in a fraternity house in 1991, but the first store didn’t open until two years later. Take-out and delivery wings were the brainstorm of fraternity brothers Matt Friedman and Adam Scott, who, while studying at the University of Florida, wanted to feed themselves and fellow Gators something besides the delivery mainstays of pizza and subs.

“Wings were something you couldn’t get delivered then,” Friedman says. “So we wrote a business plan focused on takeout and delivery. We did the testing out of our fraternity house kitchen, and then in my senior year of college we opened our first restaurant.”

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Wing Zone featured in The Leaf-Chronicle

Wing Zone was featured in an article entitled "Veterans hiring even Jan. 27 at LP Field," in the Leaf-Chronicle of Clarkville, TN. The article focuses on a hiring event for veterans and how franchising could be a great career choice for these veterans. Wing Zone provides a great opportunity for these veterans to make a career transition. Click here to view the full article.

Veterans hiring event Jan. 27 at LP Field
By Jake Lowary

Next week, veterans and their spouses looking for work will have the chance to meet with recruiters at LP Field.

The American Legion, Purple Heart Services and the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network are hosting the RecruitMilitary Opportunity Expo on Jan. 27 at the home of the Tennessee Titans.

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Wing Zone Founders, Franchising Experts, Offer Advice on Should You Franchise Your Business

The North Central Florida Business Report just recently published a story entitled, “Should You Franchise Your Business,” in which Wing Zone Co-Founders, Matt Friedman and Adam Scott, laid out some advice for business owners who may be considering franchising. Matt and Adam began Wing Zone in Gainesville, FL out of their fraternity kitchen and turned it into an international franchise concept which has been selected by Entrepreneur as one of the best franchises in the country. Check out the story here:

Should You Franchise Your Business?
By Chris Eversole

Former University of Florida students Adam Scott and Matt Friedman got off to a slow start and had little money when they founded Wing Zone in the kitchen of Phi Kappa Phi fraternity in 1991.

Today, Wing Zone has 100 stores and has received awards from Inc. and Entrepreneur magazines as one of the country’s best franchise businesses.
Wing Zone is an example of the kind of success you can achieve if you turn a business into a thriving franchise. But getting from start to finish can be challenging. Here are the essential steps you’ll need to follow:

START WITH A GOOD CONCEPT
To create a lucrative franchise, you first have to have a business that:
• can be taught;
• can be profitable for you and the franchisee; and
• can work in various geographic areas.
Before turning to franchising, Scott and Friedman proved their business concept worked by opening and operating their own stores at college campuses throughout the Southeast.

NAIL DOWN THE DETAILS
Parker Van Hart is beginning to franchise his local restaurant, Buddha Belly, which offers a healthy, diverse menu ranging from various fried rice dishes to burgers. He’s changing the name to Tasty Buddha to broaden its appeal, and he’s developed a website aimed at franchisees.
Just as importantly, he has created a comprehensive procedures manual that runs more than 1,000 pages and is still growing. “I’m surprised at how big it is,” he says.

The Wing Zone manual is similarly detailed—including everything from temperature settings for the refrigerator, to what button to push on each machine and how to bag the wings.

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Wing Zone Featured on FoodChannel.com

Wing Zone was recently featured on FoodChannel.com in an article called “One-Time Campus Chicken Wing Operation Now Going Global.” Written by Bill Bailey, senior editor at Food Channel, he explores Wing Zone since its inception by interviewing Matt Friedman and Adam Scott, co-Founders of the Atlanta-based franchise. They discuss starting Wing Zone in their frat house kitchen to now taking the brand globally and expanding in Panama, Japan and the Bahamas. Wing Zone is also focused on growing throughout the U.S. through franchising opportunities. A portion of the article is included below and the article can be read in its entirety by clicking here.

One-Time Campus Chicken Wing Operation Now Going Global
Bill Bailey

Forty-five years after Teressa Belissimo invented Buffalo Wings at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, N.Y., chicken wings remain as popular as ever—especially during football/tailgating season. Teressa’s simple sauce recipe—basically, three parts Frank’s RedHot and two parts butter—started a wings explosion.

Today there are a number of restaurant chains that specialize in wings, among them are Buffalo Wild Wings, Wingstop, and Wing Zone.

We recently had a chance to visit with the founders of the Atlanta-based Wing Zone chain, Adam Scott, 36, and Matt Friedman, 39, who began their chicken wing odyssey back in 1993. The pair were fraternity brothers at the University of Florida, majoring in Business/Finance with passion for two things: owning their own business and chicken wings.

Friedman says they had next to no experience in the restaurant business. “We were just wing fanatics,” he says. Growing up on New York’s Long Island and making frequent visits upstate to visit relatives, Friedman knew what authentic Buffalo Wings should taste like. Soon the two frat brothers were making wings and selling them like mad to fellow students on the Gainesville campus. “We worked hard to duplicate the flavor of the original buffalo wing,” Friedman says. “The deep fry cooking process—cooking them up crispy—the classic spicy sauce flavor, with the blue cheese on the side.” He says it’s all about the wrist action, flipping the wings around in the bowl of sauce to get good coverage. “People often use too much arm action,” Friedman adds.

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