Despite the unforeseen challenges that the pandemic brought on the restaurant industry, Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop (Capriotti’s) and Wing Zone have fired up development efforts since the beginning of 2020, breaking the brands into 15 new states over the past two years. In fact, Capriotti’s now operates in 30 states and counting. The beginning of 2022 has echoed that success – with 42 new shops signings in the first three months of this year alone.
Garnering attention from multiple experienced restaurant operators, the Q1 area developer agreements are steps towards both brands goal of being present in all 50 states. These signings will develop the Capriotti’s brand in:
- Southwest Florida
- Phoenix
- Philadelphia
- Los Angeles
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Salt Lake City, Utah
Wing Zone will grow its presence in:
- Houston, Texas
- Fort Walton, Florida
- Edwardsville, Illinois
- Decatur, Illinois
- Hampton Roads, Virginia
- Thomasville, Georgia
- Riverside, California
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
“I have been nothing but impressed with the momentum Capriotti’s and Wing Zone have experienced not only this year but since the start of 2020,” says David Bloom, Chief Development and Operating Officer for Capriotti’s and Wing Zone. “From expanding our brands into 15 new states and welcoming incredible new owners to breaking sales numbers and launching a new Wing Zone prototype, it is exciting to look back on the milestones we hit during a very challenging time in our history and I am looking forward to seeing our concepts continue to thrive and maintain our reputations as the premiere sandwich and wing brands out there.”
Capriotti’s and Wing Zone were recognized by industry leaders and peers for their innovation and stand-out performance. The restaurants were featured on Fast Casual’s 2021 Top 100 Movers & Shakers list. In addition, the restaurants were also listed as part of Franchise Update Magazine’s Marketing Innovation Awards. This past December, Capriotti’s took home three awards from the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Best of Las Vegas awards – Gold Winner Best Chain Restaurant, Gold Winner Philly Cheesesteak and Silver Winner Fast Food. With new executive team members in place, the fast-casual restaurant brands also made their way into new markets. With Los Angeles as just one exciting example, Wing Zone implemented their ghost kitchen model to reach new customers and entice new investors.
“Being able to meet customer demands and uphold the integrity of the brands has been vital to our growth,” says Bloom. “The passion that our franchisees and team members have has become a driving force. We are always prepared to do what is necessary to make people feel at home with our brands, and it has helped carry us this to where we are now.”
Founded in 1976, Capriotti’s is most famous for its 40-year nightly tradition of slow-roasting whole, all-natural turkeys in-house and hand-shredding them each morning to feature in a variety of subs. This includes The Bobbie, the shop’s acclaimed best-seller, made with homemade turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayo on a soft roll. Founded in 1993, Wing Zone is an international fast-casual restaurant franchise known for its cooked-to-order, flavor-fused chicken wings, and tenders. Both brands are backed by a corporate leadership team that offers a continuous support program for franchise partners through online and field programs, which provides significant support for marketing, retail sales, operations, and growth strategies through every stage of their ownership.
