Why These Franchisees Continue to Invest in Wings and Rings

Wings and Rings is having a big year. Not only has the brand expanded its internal leadership team with several recent hires but the brand has successfully continued to expand despite a difficult economy. Much of that growth and success, it turns out, is a product of happy franchisees and their drive to grow with the brand.

David Boulier is one franchisee who has been with Wings and Rings for ten years and has consistently grown his business in Florida. Boulier was initially attracted to the brand because of the low-cost investment; and after attending discovery day with the brand, he was completely sold. The great food and lively atmosphere were enough to initiate the investment in his first location. Now, the entrepreneur owns three thriving locations in North Port, Fort Myers, and Port Charlotte, Florida. His restaurants have done incredibly well and have been a driving force for the brand’s growth and success.

“I opened up my first location with only $900 in my pocket,” said Boulier. “After our first location became successful so quickly, I knew we had to expand. We simultaneously opened two new locations, and have really been able to find success with the Wings and Rings business model.”

Multi-unit franchisee Mike Weyer is another success story of consistent growth with the brand. The Indiana entrepreneur was inspired to open his own Wings and Rings after visiting the Richmond location in 2007. At the time, he was a long-term and active football, soccer, and baseball coach in his community. When his Little League team made it to the State Championships, the team and their families visited Wings and Rings every day during the tournament because they loved the atmosphere so much. The lively ambiance and delicious food left a lasting impression on Weyer; so much so that he brought the brand to his hometown of Jasper in 2008. He has subsequently opened two additional locations in the region.

“In our smaller markets, we feel like 90—95 percent of our customers are repeat customers. That ingrains in us that we have to be perfect all of the time,” said Weyer. “You don’t have the margin of error that you might have in a larger market. We’ve had to step our game up in the last few months in both locations to double down to make sure that we’re treating our customers the best that we can because we’ve run into considerably more competition in both Bedford and Jasper.”

Weyer had already acquired a vast amount of experience in running a business prior to opening his first Wings and Rings restaurant. He worked as an insurance broker and then sales manager at Prudential before opening his own insurance agency in 1995, followed by another commercial real estate firm two years later. Weyer credits his partner, Ann Bennett, for the success they’ve enjoyed nearly a decade after their first opening, who actually started as a general manager in Jasper and was later given the opportunity to invest in ownership. The pair was even once recognized as Wings and Rings Franchisee of the Year during the brand’s annual conference.

“Ann takes care of everything inside the restaurant,” said Weyer. “Without her I would never have gotten in the business. She had a small restaurant of her own prior to Wings and Rings and really understands the customer service piece of the puzzle. I know the real estate side and the financial side, but she’s the one who makes it work day in and day out.”

As the Wings and Rings network of franchisees grows, so too has the internal corporate team. This year, the wings franchise has hired Thomas Flaherty, Chief Development Officer; Bob Bafundo, Chief Operations Officer and Phil Altieri, V.P. of Purchasing to their leadership team. The recent launch of Wings and Rings’ G4 model certainly hasn’t hurt the business either, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The model makes it even easier to invest in the brand, has off-premise offerings and includes digital ordering, measures that make jumping to franchise ownership during a pandemic less daunting.

One thing’s for sure, the brand is thriving and will continue to grow as long as franchisees, new and established, are proud of the businesses they run.

For more information on Wings and Rings, the investment and financial qualifications, please visit: ownwingsandrings.com