Seventeen unique and amazing flavors of wings, boneless wings, hand-breaded tenders, burgers, and sides. All for takeout, dine-in, and delivery.
2015 is an ideal year to franchise with Wing Zone. “At the present time, the wings category is a great business choice, as it’s one of the few food franchise categories that is not in an overcrowded space,” says Matt Friedman, CEO and co-founder of Wing Zone. “Many other quick-service and fast casual food offerings have a minimum of eight or more competitors. Food costs are stable, and wings are gaining in popularity as more customers become ‘Flavorholics’ of Wing Zone.
Our same store sales are up 10 percent over 2014 and we are opening 17 new stores in 2015.”
Wing Zone is looking for potential franchisees who have had previous business experience, particularly in a food franchise, or who are already multi-unit operators of other quick-service or fast-casual brands. “Wing Zone offers the ability for franchise candidates to expand in their local areas with locations that require a very reasonable investment per location, allowing them to spread their business portfolio over multiple locations,” Friedman says. The company’s standard franchise offering is a two-store development agreement, with the second store opening 12 to 18 months after the first store opens. Wing Zone is also willing to enter into larger area development agreements in major metropolitan areas.
Currently, Wing Zone has over 70 locations open in the U.S., and another 17 international locations. Until recently, it has focused on the southeastern U.S., but it has expanded efforts into other key areas. “We have also made the decision to aggressively target California, where we’ve been receiving a lot of interest,” Friedman says. Wing Zone franchisees have typically enjoyed success with locations in both college and university towns, in close proximity to military bases, and in major metropolitan areas with large populations of the 18- to 34-year-old demographic who have sufficient disposable income.
Training for new franchisees consists of three weeks at Wing Zone headquarters in Atlanta, taking place both in the office and at the nearby corporate stores. Trainees learn Wing Zone-specific business skills such as inventory, scheduling, marketing, and financial reporting. The Wing Zone corporate team is also on the ground for new store openings for 12 days, assisting new franchisees with operations and marketing.
Wing Zone also provides each franchisee with a Franchise Business Coach (FBC). FBCs help franchisees identify areas that need improvement, as well as assisting in increasing sales while decreasing food and labor costs. Each franchisee receives a personal visit from their FBC at least once a quarter. “All FBCs are just a phone call away, 24/7,” says Friedman. Wing Zone also has a dedicated marketing support person who comes to new locations for their grand opening and supports all locally based marketing initiatives.
Wing Zone currently generates 30 percent of store revenue via online ordering and the Wing Zone app for smartphones. This helps reduce labor costs, improves order accuracy, and increases the average check.
Wing Zone’s store design and branding is modern, clean, and core to the brand focus on “Amazing Flavor!” It’s a great time to “Own the Zone.”
For more information about franchising opportunities with WingZone, visit wingzone.com