Wing It On!, the New England based and fan-favorite wing joint known for its fresh, never-frozen, all-natural wings ’n wiches, has announced a new signed agreement with Praveen Kumar to bring a location to Northern Virginia, focusing on the DMV area.
This will be the first Wing It On! location in the state of Virginia, making it an important milestone as the brand enters untapped territory. The newly signed agreement represents a part of the brand’s larger growth strategy to lock in 25 to 30 additional units by the end of year in target markets like Northern Virginia.
“The first time I got to try their food, I knew instantly that Wing It On! was different from the other wing joints I’ve had before,” says Kumar. “Then I got to meet with their corporate team and realized they had something special in the works for this brand that’s ready to take over the chicken category. This will be a breath of fresh air for the Northern Virginia dining scene.”
Prior to joining Wing It On! as a franchisee, Kumar was an IT consultant for businesses. His love for chicken wings, passion for customer service and commitment to the highest quality standards made him a perfect fit for the better chicken concept.
Wing It On! has earned a loyal fan following redefining the standards for fresh and crispy wings. With a simplified, innovative menu, fans of the brand have favored the true Buffalo-quality wing cooked and sauced or seasoned to perfection. In addition to its famous wings and boneless tenders, Wing It On! also serves a full-line up of hand-crafted crispy chicken sandwiches, sides and irresistible customizable seasoned fries.
Wing It On! certified its position as a leader in the category after being the official sponsor of the 2021 U.S. Chicken Wing Eating Championship on September 5 held in the chicken wing capital of the world, Buffalo, New York. Participants, which included the likes of Miki Sudo and Joey Chestnut, were challenged to eat as many wings tossed in the brand’s authentic Medium Buffalo sauce in 12 minutes while also wearing Wing It On! branded t-shirts.
“We’re thrilled to bring the first Wing It On! to Virginia with someone like Praveen who’s so enthusiastic about our rising chicken brand,” says Matt Ensero, CEO and founder of Wing It On!. “Soon, there will be a whole new legion of wing nuts in Northern Virginia who can finally experience true Buffalo-style wings as well as our delicious tenders and sandwiches.”
Creating an exceptional wing experience goes back to the early 2000s when Ensero, and his friends would argue amongst themselves every football Sunday about who was driving 30-plus minutes to pick up wings from some of their favorite spots in surrounding towns. However, the distance and Styrofoam take out boxes would always result in soggy and cold wings once they got home. Ensero had enough, hence, Wing It On! was born. He opened the first Wing It On! in his hometown Waterbury, Connecticut, serving only the crispiest of wings that all true wing nuts crave.
The attractiveness of the franchise model is only enhanced with its flexible design footprint. Takeout and delivery drive nearly 90 percent of store revenues, meaning overhead is kept low with just a small portion of the restaurant reserved for dine-in. Locations can range from less than 1,000 square feet up to 1,700 square feet, with the “sweet spot” being 1,200-1,500 square foot stores.
