How Wing Zone Sets Franchisees Up For Success Through Menu & Flavor Innovations

Born from their love of great wings with great flavor, self-proclaimed “Flavorholics” Matt Friedman and Adam Scott began experimenting with wing recipes and different flavors at their University of Florida fraternity house in 1991. Then, realizing the University lacked a place students could order delicious and flavorful wings, the Flavorholics decided it was time to fill this gap for themselves. 

Shortly after that, in 1993, the first Wing Zone location was up and running in Gainesville, Florida. Now, a little over 25 years later, Wing Zone operates nearly 100 locations across the U.S., as well as in international markets including Panama, Guatemala, Malaysia, Singapore and The Philippines.

Based on the brand’s growth and success, it’s safe to say that Wing Zone has become a reputable and established franchise business and one that continues to appeal to franchisees. The Wing Zone opportunity is an attractive one for a few reasons: First, the overall investment for a Wing Zone is one of the lowest in the industry. The average owner can get up and running for around $250,000 and average restaurant sales in 2019 were just under $800,000 allowing franchisees a 3 to 1 sales-to-investment ratio.

According to Founder and CEO of Wing Zone Matt Friedman, the introduction of new products and flavors create new revenue streams for franchisees by giving them additional marketing opportunities. “Whether it’s a digital ad, social media post, print ad or a menu board in the restaurant, it gives us the opportunity to tell our new or existing customers that we have added another great item to our menu,” said Friedman. 

Along with the additional marketing opportunities, Friedman also mentioned that the introduction of new menu items and ‘limited time offers’ is a good way to increase consumers’ check averages, thereby, creating another revenue stream for franchisees.

“We’re very strategic about how we introduce new items or LTOs because we do so at a very favorable price point, where it’s an easy add-on to an existing order,” Friedman said. “It’s not a major investment for people, so it’s a great way to increase customers’ check averages and upsell them into new items.”

For example, as a way to increase customers’ check averages, Wing Zone introduced its new Thigh Wings for $2.99. Since launching the thigh wings on August 12, 2019, the brand has seen a lot of positive feedback from customers. “Each and every month, we saw a steady increase in sales of the thigh wings and they’re still continuing to gain popularity,” said Friedman.

So, what is the purpose of rolling out new menu items or LTOs?

According to Friedman, Wing Zone does so for two main reasons. “The first reason is that we want to get existing guests ordering to try something new,” he said. “The second reason is to attract new Wing Zone consumers with the intention of turning them into loyal guests. It’s all about trial and frequency.”

In addition to attracting new and existing customers, the introduction of new products and LTOs also benefits Wing Zone’s staff members, noted Friedman. “Introducing new products is good for our staff because it gets them excited,” he said. It’s another way for them to engage with our brand and our customers.

Taking it a step further, throughout 2020 Wing Zone is launching 4 new flavors that were co-created by franchisees.  According to Friedman, the four new flavors are: Nashville Hot BBQ, Tokyo Dragon, a blend of Sweet Samurai and Nuclear Habanero; Lemonyaki, a mix of Sweet Samurai with Lemon Pepper; and Louisiana Lemon Pepper, a blend of Buffalo Bliss and Lemon Pepper dry rub.

And, to no one’s surprise, as it heads into the new year, Wing Zone has major plans to focus on flavor innovation. “The focus for new products and LTOs next year is on flavor and how we can blend new flavors into our existing menu items. This extends to wings, chicken tenders, burgers and really anything on the menu,” said Friedman.

The overall investment for a Wing Zone franchise is around $250,000 with a $25,000 franchise fee. Prospective franchisees can get into a proven franchise model for as little as $75,000 down.  With average restaurant sales of $800,000+, the ratio of sales to investment leaves Wing Zone franchisees as satisfied as their “Flavorholics”. 

For more information, please visit https://wingzonefranchise.com.