Refreshed Interior Look, Menu Items, and More Has Franchisees Flocking to the Casual Family Dining Franchise
East Coast Wings + Grill, a growing casual dining franchise acclaimed for its wide variety of nationally award-winning buffalo wing flavors made-to-order with the freshest ingredients, has unveiled its complete brand overhaul. Dubbed East Coast Wings + Grill 2.0, the refresh is designed to elevate all platforms of the brand for an enhanced dining experience featuring a new logo, revamped interior, new menu items and a focus on craft beer.
The brand conducted extensive research and focus groups to narrow down three immediate priorities to create East Coast Wings + Grill 2.0:
- Redesign the interior and exterior for cost effective development and to cater to consumer desires in a dining environment. This resulted in a new rustic and industrial-styled space with a smaller footprint that reduced development cost by 20+/- percent.
- Invest in the right suppliers and vendors to assure all units have every tool necessary to continue maintaining positive same store sales growth. Examples include partnering with FreedomPay to provide a pay-at-the-table option for more secure transactions and decreased liability for franchise partners, and the addition of Buxton, a consumer and site predictive analytics tool providing measurable analytics for the marketing department.
- Adjust menu offerings to not only appease the market trends, but add cost value engineering into offerings for sustaining high-quality and increasing gross menu item profits. The food enhancement began with the 2016 fall menu debut and will conclude with the 2018 spring menu. Further, the brand now offers more than 65 craft-style beer options from local, regional and national breweries.
“Since the beginning, our team has worked to assure our franchise model has the necessary foundation on driving unit-level performance,” stated CEO Sam Ballas. “We’ve strategically planned initiatives to not only elevate the consumer dining experience, but enhance our offerings for franchise partners and the brand’s ability to perform. Since the implementation of East Coast Wings + Grill 2.0, I am beyond ecstatic with the results.”
With 35 units currently operating nationwide, the refresh is the next step to driving the brand toward the 100+-unit mark. To be implemented in all locations moving forward, the new in-store experience has already been executed in the Burlington and Harrisburg, NC locations. All existing locations will eventually convert to adopt the new look.
With more than 60 locations operating or in various stages of development, East Coast Wings + Grill plans to open two additional locations by year-end and more than 10 throughout 2018. Offering an attractive investment opportunity centered upon unit-level economics to support both operations and expansion. The franchise looks to partner with both local entrepreneurs and multi-unit operators to expand its national footprint across Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, among more.
For information about East Coast Wings + Grill franchise opportunities, contact franchising@eastcoastwings.com, or visit www.eastcoastwingsfranchise.com.
Based in North Carolina, East Coast Wings + Grill is a casual family dining franchise that puts the spotlight on buffalo wings. With more than 60 locations currently operating or in various stages of development, the burgeoning franchise caters to chicken wing lovers by offering dozens of varying wing flavors that can be paired with nine heat intensities. With numerous awards and accolades, the franchise has been noted on Franchise Business Review’s “Top Food Franchise” 2012-17, Restaurant Business Magazine’s “Future 50” list of the fastest-growing U.S. mid-size restaurant chains, Franchise Times Magazine’s “Top 200+” list, Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Top 200” Food Franchises, among more. The concept has also been recognized by The Franchise Grade and Franchise Business Review for transparency during the franchise sales process, franchisee support and overall franchisee satisfaction. For more information about East Coast Wings + Grill or its franchise opportunities, visit www.eastcoastwings.com or www.eastcoastwingsfranchise.com.
