Walid Daftanai began his food journey on the streets of downtown Manhattan with his father, helping operate a coffee truck throughout middle school. That’s where the entrepreneurial seed was planted. After dropping out of high school, he decided to get into business for himself. He managed a quick-service chicken concept and learned about the potential of scaling a food brand.
In May 2023, he quit and opened ATL Wing Spot.
Daftanai was 22 and decided to bet on himself. The brand’s combination of fun sauces and secret menu offerings earned it instant buzz and it won Best Wings on Long Island before it turned a year old. Now, it’s look at potentially franchising and opening new locations.
Come join Daftanai at this year’s QSR Evolution Conference.
MEET OTHER QSR EVOLUTION INNOVATORS
Richmond Green and gusto! Keep Positivity Front and Center in Growth
Wendy’s Franchisee Ryan O’Malley Puts Culture on the Front Lines of Success
ATL Wing Spot Founder Masood Din is a QSR Evolution Innovator
Zach Noren Helps GoTo Foods Get to the Next Level of Innovation
Tell us about your start in the industry and your father’s coffee truck. What are some of the lessons you learned from that experience?
Working in my father’s cart ingrained a lot of ideas that I find imperative to operating a successful QSR. Customer service, product consistency, speed of service, and how to handle your role in a fast-paced environment. I didn’t realize it at the time but most of these concepts would go on to mold me and my brand into what it is today. Having a customer go from placing their order to walking away with their change and coffee and pastry in under 20–30 seconds takes a great level of skill.
And what about from managing the chicken QSR? What were some things you learned there that influenced how you’d run your own brand when that time came?
Managing a chicken QSR exposed me to team management, leadership, and systems. I learned about the most important aspect of leadership which I believe is creating a strong culture. Working here also taught me about systems and the importance of SOPs and job guides. The presence of systems influenced the creation of ATL Wing Spot heavily. It helped shape our menu into a wide variety of high-quality offerings (we have over 25 flavors) while still keeping our consistency up to par.
Talk about the jump to quit your job and open a concept at 22. Did people think you were crazy? What gave you the confidence to bet on yourself?
Taking the jump from my career at 22 was a big step. My own parents told me that I should keep my career and that I was making the wrong decision. My coworkers thought I was crazy and asked me what I knew about wings. But the confidence I had in my brand and what we were going to accomplish pushed me to take this leap of faith. I recognized the lack of innovation and room for growth in the wing sector and knew I could capitalize on that and grow my brand. This past may we won best wings on Long Island after being open under a year. The results speak for themselves.
What advice would you give fellow young entrepreneurs looking to get into business for themselves?
My advice to young entrepreneurs would be to work hard and take risks. Opportunity will knock on your door when you least expect it so prepare for it and take the risk. They say, “Fortune favors the bold” and as long as you take the risk and put the required work in there’s no reason why it can’t be true. Last year I was working day and night trying to put the pieces together and trying to make it work, today I’m meeting with potential new franchisees of ATL Wing Spot and growing the brand.
