Wing Zone Staging Grand Opening On Saturday July 16th to Unveil The Nation’s First Wing Restaurant to Offer Drive-Thru Service

Entrepreneurs and franchise owners Michael Hornsteiner and Jeff Reddick will soon be making history for Wing Zone, a wing restaurant concept based out of Atlanta, Georgia. Hornsteiner and Reddick will become the franchise owners of Wing Zone’s first drive-thru location. Not only is the drive-thru location a first for the company but it is also a first in the wing food service industry.

In addition to the new location adding to the brand’s presence in the Atlanta area, it also presents a milestone for Wing Zone. Hornsteiner and Reddick are enthusiastic to have the opportunity to be the first to own a drive through model that has the possibility to be reproduced all over the country.

Atlanta residents will have their chance to prove their Flavorholic status at the grand opening located at 518 Atlanta Road, Cumming, GA on July 16. The first 25 lucky customers in line will be awarded with free wings for a year. Wing Zone expects hundreds of people to camp out for the 11am Grand Opening. During that day, Flavorholics can participate in Wing Zone’s Nuclear Challenge and win prizes all day long.

“This is our chance to be trailblazers as franchisees,” said Reddick. “It’s an honor; it’s exciting and we know Atlanta residents are going to go crazy over this very first drive thru wing concept. On July 16, we’re celebrating with a bang and Wing Zone Flavorholics are going to get a first glimpse into a brand new way to order wings.”

The wing drive-thru concept was an idea that Wing Zone has been researching for the past several years since consumers are only getting busier and wanting their food faster. Finally the idea will make its debut.

“If every other food can be purchased through a drive thru, we thought why not wings?” said Matt Friedman, Founder and CEO of Wing Zone. “This is the time for innovation, not retraction and we are pushing for industry firsts in everything we do. Certainly the drive thru concept is an example of that. Jeff and Michael are the perfect franchise partner duo to fulfill our drive thru footprint.”

Wing Zone featured in Bellmore Post

Wing Zone was recently featured in an article called “Winging It: Bellmore, East Meadow Conquered by Wing Zone” in the Bellmore Patch. The article features Wing Zone Bellmore co-owner, Chris Licht where he discusses initially opening the location in East Meadow with his father in November 2010. After graduating college, Licht took over the East Meadow location and eventually expanded into Bellmore with the help of co-owner Matt Dolan. The article continues on to discuss the fast casual aspect to Wing Zone, rather than being a fast food concept. Click here to view the full article!

Winging it: Bellmore, East Meadow Conquered by Wing Zone
By Matthew Hogan

When Wing Zone opened in East Meadow in October of 2004, part-owner Matt Licht knew he had something special on his hands.

When Licht, along with co-owner Matt Dolan, opened a second “takeout-delivery restaurant” in Bellmore back in November of 2010, he realized it was something completely different.

(Read More)

Wing Zone featured in NRN

In observance of Memorial Day, Nation’s Restaurant News reporter Mark Brandau spoke to Wing Zone franchisee and military veteran Todd Waldemar to learn how his military experience has helped him become a successful Wing Zone franchisee. “The military really drills into you the philosophy that you can do,” said Waldemar “…I’m looking at it (restaurant ownership) in terms of knowing I can do it.” Matt Freidman, CEO of Wing Zone, also discussed why military vets make great franchisees and Wing Zone’s recent alignment with AAFES to bring more Wing Zone locations to military bases across the U.S. Click here to view the article in its entirety!

Taking military training to restaurant leadership
By Mark Brandau

Todd Waldemar returned from Iraq in 2006 and knew that he had the experience and leadership capabilities as a Marine to go into business for himself. He just didn’t know everything about one industry to get started.

But researching several franchised businesses before enlisting with Wing Zone gave him the confidence to know that the discipline instilled in him by the Marine Corps would allow him to leverage platforms already developed by the franchisor. Today he franchises four units of the fast-casual chain.

(Read More)

Using Social Media, Flavorholics Rename the Wing Zone Menu with the Name that Flavor Promotion

Wing Zone will be launching a new menu in the future and is calling on their Flavorholics to be a part of renaming and revamping all of the Wing Zone Flavors. Fifteen award winning Flavors will be re-named by Facebook Fans over the next thirty days. This is just one of the ways Wing Zone continues to be innovative in the social space. The promotion runs through June 23rd and each day is dedicated to one specific Flavor. Flavorholics (Facebook fans) will submit some of their unique ideas onto the official Wing Zone Facebook page and after the thirty day promotion, Wing Zone will unveil the winners along with their redefined menu.

To join in on the Name that Flavor Promotion, become a fan of Wing Zone @ http://www.facebook.com/WingZoneNation

Wing Zone featured in Entrepreneur Magazine

Reporter Jason Daley of Entrepreneur Magazine spoke with CEO and Founding Partner of Wing Zone Matt Friedman to learn about Wing Zone’s international expansion plans. What resulted was an article called “No Boundaries: Many American Franchises Are Not Only Surviving The Recession But Thriving in it by Expanding Their Operations Globally,” which published in the May edition of Entrepreneur Magazine. The article focuses on how the U.S.-based chicken wing takeout/delivery franchise has spent two years developing its international expansion strategy and currently has more than 50 deals underway globally.

Wing Zone Invited to Represent US Franchising in India

Joins 11 US Franchisors on Trade Mission

India has become one of the most fertile countries for business development over the past 20 years and now ranks as the 11th largest economy in the world. To take advantage of unprecedented growth opportunities in the subcontinent, the United States Department of Commerce has hand-picked 12 US franchisors to undertake a trade mission to build critical partnerships in Mumbai, Hyderabad and New Delhi. Wing Zone, a national chicken wing take out/delivery concept based in Atlanta, FL, will be one of the 12 franchisors making the trip starting April 10.

“We’re thrilled to have been invited to be a part of this unique and exciting business opportunity,” said Hair Parra, Vice President of International Development. “India is a rapidly growing market with a food and beverage sector worth approximately $280 million. We’d like to establish a foothold in the market to compliment our growth in the US.”

Earlier this year, Wing Zone pioneered uncharted territory by taking its concept international for the first time to Panama. This expansion was the first time a chicken wing delivery chain stepped outside of the United States. It has other agreements in place for international development in Japan and the Bahamas as well and is constantly looking for new opportunities to expand abroad.

India is a particularly strong growth market for franchises, which constitute about 17 percent of the retail sector and at a 30 percent annual growth rate. As of 2010 there were 1200 franchisors in India, with a quarter originating outside the country or having majority holdings in the United States. The future is just as bright, with the franchising industry reaching an expected value of $20 billion in 2020.

“The time is right for a brand like ours,” Friedman says. “People everywhere are looking for a business concept that is fresh and unique. We’re hoping to network with potential multi-unit operators to partner with and to capitalize on this huge opportunity in India.”

Wing Zone featured in The Forum

This past Super Bowl weekend, Wing Zone was featured in The Forum in Fargo discussing the spike in wing sales experienced by local businesses on Super Bowl Sunday. In terms of sales in Fargo,Tami Smith let us know that Super Bowl Sunday is the largest sales day of the year by far, often seeing an increase from about 300 wings on a typical Sunday to about 2500 wings for the big game. Orders of 100 – 200 wings are common and the whole staff is prepared to meet the pre-game rush so customers can have everything ready for all of their parties. Wings provide a great snack food for all to enjoy because let’s face it, everyone loves wings and Wing Zone provides 15 different flavors to meet everyone’s favorite flavors. Click here to view the full article.

Business a blazin': Buffalo wing businesses get boost on Super Bowl Sunday
By MARINO ECCHER

For Thanksgiving, it’s turkey. For Easter, it’s ham. For the Super Bowl, it’s hot wings – millions and millions of hot wings.

In a savory confluence of product and event, wing restaurants – especially those that deliver – are prepping for a bonanza Sunday (an all-out blitz, for the pun-inclined), when hungry fans and partygoers seek out the football-friendly snack in droves.

(Read More)