Savannah Wing Zone franchise a model for rest of chain
By: Adam Van Brimmer
The scouting trip took Jeremy and Deborah Serls all over Southside Savannah, and every long block revealed another attractive piece of ground on which to build the area’s first Wing Zone franchise.
The route included a pass by the Eisenhower Square shopping center. And there, tucked between McDonald’s and a billiards hall, sat a small building with a double drive-thru home to a coffee shop.
“That looks like a good spot,” Jeremy told his wife. “Too bad it’s taken.”
For first-time franchisees tasked with opening Wing Zone’s first built-from-the-ground-up location, as well as the chain’s second store with a drive-thru, the coffee shop helped the Serlses visualize what their store could look like.
The java business failed not long after, opening the outparcel to new tenants. The Serlses claimed it, knocked down the old building and constructed a similar structure, albeit with just a single drive-thru lane.
Today, nine months after opening, the store is one of the best performing in the 100-plus location Wing Zone chain. Sales are 40 percent above the company average.
The model is the future for the Atlanta-based corporation.
“For years, we had customers saying, ‘We love the products, but we want it faster,’” Wing Zone CEO and co-founder Matt Friedman said. “We’re in a convenience world and adding a drive-thru addresses that demand. And free-standing locations give us more exposure.”
