East Coast Wings & Grill, an upscale casual dining chicken wing franchise, recently announced the appointment of Steve G. Kontos to President of Athenian Food Concepts, Inc., a subsidiary of the franchise.
In his new position, Kontos will be responsible for amplifying the brand’s growth by establishing new corporate locations and enhancing franchise development. Athenian Food Concepts, Inc. currently owns two corporate East Coast Wings & Grill restaurants with plans to build up to ten corporate locations by 2017 under Kontos’ leadership.
“With Steve’s vast knowledge-base of unit-level operations and experience in the restaurant industry, he was the perfect candidate to fill this substantial role,” said Sam Ballas, CEO of East Coast Wings & Grill. “Ultimately, his task is to assure our system is prepared for training the growing number of East Coast Wings & Grill franchisees. Steve has played a vital role in building and developing our company’s internal operations for field support thus far, and we know he’ll continue to sustain our historical track record of high unit-level economics.”
Kontos most recently served as the Director of Field Operations for East Coast Wings & Grill. With over 40 years of combined experience in the restaurant industry, Ballas and Kontos joined forces in 2001 and worked together to revamp East Coast Wings’ concept and business model with the goal of establishing an upscale, family-oriented buffalo wing restaurant. In addition to developing a full-service menu concentrated on high-quality food rather than alcohol, the duo has established one of the finest franchisee programs in the wing industry, dedicated to maximizing unit-level economics and setting up franchisees for unlimited growth potential.
“Having helped our CEO with the internal development of our field operations, I have a clear vision of what Sam has entrusted me to do, and I look forward to enhancing the growth of our franchise system,” said Steve G. Kontos, President of Athenian Food Concepts, Inc. “The plan is to strategically open corporate units in target markets, which will allow us to achieve our franchise development goals and enhance training for our new multi-unit franchisees across the county.”
The appointment comes at a remarkable time for East Coast Wings & Grill; In addition to achieving 10 years of positive same-store sales, the flourishing brand is set to average more than 23 percent new unit growth in 2014. With 29 locations open and operating, East Coast Wings & Grill has signed agreements to nearly triple its store count over the next several years and will continue to lead the buffalo wing segment in both profitability and franchisee satisfaction.
For more information about East Coast Wings & Grill, please visit www.eastcoastwings.com. For more information on franchise opportunities, please visit www.eastcoastwingsfranchise.com.
East Coast Wings & Grill, a fast growing casual dining chicken wing franchise, has 29 locations and has signed agreements to add 94 new restaurants across the country within the next few years. The franchise concept not only caters to the chicken wing lover by offering 75 different flavors of chicken wings in any of nine heat intensities, but also salads, wraps, sandwiches, burgers and more, all using fresh, not frozen ingredients. To learn more about the franchise concept or about exciting franchise opportunities please visit www.eastcoastwingsfranchise.com for more information.
