While many restaurant brands have struggled to weather the pandemic, Wing Zone, a direct delivery chicken wing franchise, has found its footing -- including its November 2020 opening of its Myrtle Beach restaurant at 1209 Highway 17 South. The opening comes while the brand has maintained record comparable sales throughout the year, including being up 18.9% in October to kick-off Q4.

“We have successfully navigated the storm of 2020,” said Matt Friedman, CEO. “We are excited to build on our momentum with the opening of our South Carolina location. Dave Patel and his family are excellent operators. Their leadership will pave the way for additional growth in the state.”

New franchisee Patel is leading his family’s expansion outside the convenience and fuel business. As the founders of Susie Q’s Foods Convenience Stores, Dave, Tommy, Sagar and Neil Patel are opening the family’s first franchised restaurant on the main strip of North Myrtle Beach, parallel to the beach.

“Wing Zone was just different to us,” Dave Patel said. “It seemed like it was growing and very up-and-coming in the southeast. They were different from the usual wing place, with a more diverse menu.

“Myrtle Beach didn’t need another pizza place or sandwich shop in town. We found one of the most common foods that people love is chicken wings and they’re a small market here with little competition. It’s a quick grab-and-go kind of place and sometimes it’s nice to just pick up some wings for the family.”

Patel said the brand’s point of differentiation paired with its growth potential is what will continue his and his family’s investment in the  brand’s growth.

“I hope to eventually see 50 Wing Zone locations here down the line,” he said. “The objective is to always be growing the business. I want this to be a successful business that people come to for great customer service and food. I want to be able to carry the Wing Zone name and to expand it even further than just North Myrtle. At the end of the day, you just don’t want to stop growing.”

ABOUT WING ZONE

Wing Zone was founded in 1993 at the University of Florida by Matt Friedman and Adam Scott, who dubbed themselves Flavorholics because of their love of great wings and amazing flavors. The Wing Zone franchise was born in their fraternity house kitchen, and the concept quickly flourished through delivery to their fellow college students. After opening several more Wing Zone locations in college markets across the country, Scott and Friedman began offering franchises in 2000. Wing Zone now has nearly 68 locations open across the U.S. and a strong international presence, including Panama, Guatemala, Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines. For more information about Wing Zone visit www.wingzone.com.

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Nick Powills

About the Author

Nick Powills

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Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.