East Coast Wings & Grill, a North Carolina–based casual family dining restaurant with an emphasis on buffalo wings, is closing out a banner year, impressing both consumer and investor palates alike.
Taking note of Americans’ increased appetite for casual family dining, East Coast Wings & Grill offers an attractive investment opportunity centered upon unit-level economics to support both operations and expansion. Achieving its 12th consecutive year of positive same store sales, which includes 45 quarters of positive comps, the company experienced a 4.1 percent growth in same store sales over 2014. Additionally, the franchise has sustained a double-digit increase in new unit growth due to the brand’s unique development strategy and continued commitment to unit-level economics.
“I am thrilled with what our national service center and corporate team have been able to accomplish with unit-level economics,” says Sam Ballas, CEO of East Coast Wings & Grill “Much of our success can also be attributed to our strong partnerships with our franchisees. Their hard work validates that following a proven franchise system results in economic success. We are ecstatic that even with traditional national growth pressures; we were able to sustain our remarkable unit-level EBITDA lead by our owner-operated restaurants at more than 19 percent.”
Furthermore, 2015 marked the 7th consecutive year that East Coast Wings & Grill finished with new store unit growth in the double digits. Based on new leases and markets under construction, the burgeoning franchise is expecting to once again exceed a 20 percent increase in new stores for 2016. With 70 plus locations currently operating or in various stages of development, East Coast Wings & Grill opened three restaurants throughout 2015, with plans to open 10 additional locations this year. Specifically, East Coast Wings & Grill is looking to expand its national footprint in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The company anticipates reaching its 100-location milestone within the next 48 months.
