Atomic Wings Franchise information

Atomic Wings began with a dream to deliver authentic Buffalo wings to the U.S. and abroad. The brand was originally conceived in 1981 by founder Adam Lippin, who couldn’t find the hot, crispy wings that he’d savored during his college years in Buffalo, New York. So, he spent several years perfecting the process, recipe and art behind the perfect chicken wing, and in 1989 he was able to open the first Atomic Wings location in New York City. 

As Atomic Wings’ popularity grew throughout NYC, so did the role of Buffalo wings at bars, parties and events throughout the rest of the country, and Lippin soon faced a host of competitors looking to capitalize on that popularity. After experiencing huge success, Lippin saw an opportunity and focused his energy on creating wings that truly stood apart from the rest in terms of taste and authenticity. 

In 2016, Zak Omar, a successful multi-unit Dunkin’ franchisee, was inspired to expand his business portfolio after grieving the loss of his father. Omar’s father came to the U.S. as refugees in 1980 when he fled Afghanistan's Soviet war. His first exposure to the food industry was working alongside his father's popular NYC food truck, where he served fried chicken to Wall Street workers. After graduating from Hofstra University, Zak himself worked on Wall Street as an IT specialist. While living in the Washington D.C. area, Zak was diagnosed with leukemia and returned to New York for treatment and to be closer to family. He began franchising with Dunkin’ alongside his brother and soon found himself looking for new opportunities.  

Omar had watched his father build a thriving food truck business from scratch in New York City and saw the same opportunity in Atomic Wings. Omar initially considered opening his own Atomic Wings franchise location, but Lippin, after meeting Omar and learning his story, offered to sell him the entire business. Now, as the CEO, Omar is taking Atomic Wings to the next level and bringing the brand’s beloved offering to new communities across the country.

The chicken wing segment is one of the fastest growing categories of the food service industry, and Atomic Wings’ unique niche between fast-food and casual dining is an edge on the competition. Most of all, it’s the brand’s great food, proprietary sauces and outstanding customer service that truly separates Atomic Wings from its competitors.

Since day one, Atomic Wings has been creating an avid customer base by serving up awesome flavors. Most wing shops will offer some range of heat levels and maybe two or three alternative flavors, but Atomic Wings offers 14. Each flavor was composed after months of research and development. While competitors in NYC have tried to come in and copy the brand’s sauces, Atomic Wings has always stayed one step ahead, innovating with new products to keep customers invested. For example, Atomic Wings recently set itself apart with its spiciest sauce to date — the Nuclear Sauce. 

The brand’s other proprietary sauces include: mild, medium, hot, atomic, nuclear, Thai chili, garlic parm, chipotle BBQ, jerk BBQ, lemon pepper, teriyaki, sweet and tangy, mango habanero and honey mustard. Beyond the sauces, Atomic Wings prides itself on the quality of its wings (both classic and boneless wings), and its process, which was directly adopted from Upstate New York, the wing capital of the world. 

The brand’s authentic wings are antibiotic- and hormone-free and cooked to perfection with a crispy outside and tender inside. The wings are hand-tossed in one of the signature sauces to distribute flavor with just the right amount of heat. Authentic wings, and the ingredients and process behind every order, is what keeps customers coming back for more. Customers get a fresh product with great ingredients every time.

The restaurant also offers regional menu items, combos, sandwiches, specials, and Halal wings in select locations. Customers can choose their favorite, fresh, never-frozen buffalo wings in-store, online or over the phone.

The chicken wing segment is one of the fastest growing categories of the food service industry, and Atomic Wings’ unique niche between fast-food and casual dining is an edge on the competition. Most of all, it’s the brand’s great food, proprietary sauces and outstanding customer service that truly separates Atomic Wings from its competitors.

Since day one, Atomic Wings has been creating an avid customer base by serving up awesome flavors. Most wing shops will offer some range of heat levels and maybe two or three alternative flavors, but Atomic Wings offers 14. Each flavor was composed after months of research and development. While competitors in NYC have tried to come in and copy the brand’s sauces, Atomic Wings has always stayed one step ahead, innovating with new products to keep customers invested. For example, Atomic Wings recently set itself apart with its spiciest sauce to date — the Nuclear Sauce. 

The brand’s other proprietary sauces include: mild, medium, hot, atomic, nuclear, Thai chili, garlic parm, chipotle BBQ, jerk BBQ, lemon pepper, teriyaki, sweet and tangy, mango habanero and honey mustard. Beyond the sauces, Atomic Wings prides itself on the quality of its wings (both classic and boneless wings), and its process, which was directly adopted from Upstate New York, the wing capital of the world. 

The brand’s authentic wings are antibiotic- and hormone-free and cooked to perfection with a crispy outside and tender inside. The wings are hand-tossed in one of the signature sauces to distribute flavor with just the right amount of heat. Authentic wings, and the ingredients and process behind every order, is what keeps customers coming back for more. Customers get a fresh product with great ingredients every time.

The restaurant also offers regional menu items, combos, sandwiches, specials, and Halal wings in select locations. Customers can choose their favorite, fresh, never-frozen buffalo wings in-store, online or over the phone.

Atomic Wings has been met with fervent demand at every one of its 23 locations currently open for business. Even throughout the coronavirus crisis, when restaurants across the country were forced to close, Atomic Wings continued to grow, signing contracts for two additional locations during that time. Looking into this year, the brand has a goal of opening 15-20 more locations.

Everything about the Atomic Wings business model has been streamlined to make franchise owners more profitable. From the buildout to the service model, Atomic Wings has developed a system that allows owners to recoup their investments and grow faster. Franchising an Atomic Wings requires minimal space and has great adaptable systems in place that are ready to replicate. Atomic Wings deliberately kept the buildout costs low enough so that franchisees can recoup their investment in about three years, making them much more profitable much quicker.

Atomic Wings franchisees also benefit from a close relationship with the brand’s corporate team. An exceptional support infrastructure has helped Atomic Wings franchisees grow faster than franchisees at other fast-casual brands — and word is spreading. Atomic Wings’ strong consumer offering and winning business model has earned the brand recognition on national television, including The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, CNN Money, CBS News and more.

Today, as the world recovers from a pandemic that’s upended businesses across industries, Atomic Wings is uniquely well-positioned to succeed. Plus, not only are Buffalo wings popular as both dine-in and take-out fare, but more importantly, the brand has proven its ability to weather virtually any crisis.

As the first company to open up a wings restaurant in NYC, Atomic Wings is now ready to expand into other cities and provide them with that authentic Buffalo wing taste. Atomic Wings is looking for owners who are hands on, believe in service excellence to the customer, are passionate about the food and love interacting with people. The brand signed a 10-unit contract with a new franchisee in Arizona, and has received inquiries from entrepreneurs as far afield as Abu Dhabi and Southeast Asia.

Ground floor opportunities only last so long and there will never be a better time to become part of the Atomic Wings Family.

The cost to open an Atomic Wings varies by location and store size. The total investment necessary to begin operation of an Atomic Wings restaurant is $155,900 to $338,500. This includes $25,000 to $25,500 that must be paid to the franchisor and/or its affiliate. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a multi-unit development business for a required minimum of three Atomic Wings franchises is $197,900 to $381,000. This includes $65,000 to $65,500 that must be paid to the franchisor and/or its affiliates.

For more information about Atomic Wings, please visit https://www.atomicwings.com/franchising.