Wings and Rings, an 85-unit elevated sports restaurant and bar franchise, is dialing up the heat and leaning into fresh flavors for the summer. Available June 6 through July 31, guests will have the option of adding Marco’s Award- Winning Sweet & Spicy Dry Rub to their traditional, boneless and cauliflower wings.
Marco’s Sweet & Spicy Dry Rub was created by Marco Veraza-Bartolo, the assistant general manager at the Kings Mills, Ohio restaurant, for a dry rub spice contest held between all of the locations.
“John, our owner, asked me if I would like to submit an entry to the King of Spice contest,” Veraza-Bartolo says. “I wanted something that would be good on multiple items, not just chicken. I started with the basics — salt, black pepper, garlic and lemon pepper — then added some cayenne and paprika for color and some kick. It was good, but it still needed more, so I added some brown sugar to create the sweet and spicy flavor.”
Veraza-Bartolo said that his wife and daughter helped him test the recipe until it was perfect, and he could not be more proud to create something that guests will love.
“We love getting our franchisees and managers involved in helping us create great menu items, and Marco has done a fantastic job developing a unique sweet and spicy flavor combination,” adds Linsey Case, Wings and Rings’ Marketing Director.
The restaurant will also be offering a Sweet & Spicy Chicken Ringer, featuring a house beer-battered fried chicken breast, dusted with Marco’s Sweet & Spicy Dry Rub and topped with a sweet-heat slaw, alongside Strawberry Shortcake Funnel Fries and Strawberry Spiked Punch.
“The Strawberry Shortcake Funnel Fries are right on point with seasonality. Guests really enjoyed the S’mores Funnel Cake Fries that we launched last fall and winter, and this seemed like a better version for the summer,” says Dan Admire, Wings and Rings’ Corporate Chef. “You have funnel cake fries and fresh strawberries topped with berry sauce and whipped cream; it’s a really nice finish for the summer.”
The Strawberry Spiked Punch leverages the availability of fresh strawberries in house. The strawberries are muddled into that drink and serve as an integral part of the beverage, combined with Ole Smoky Hunch Punch Moonshine and lime.
“Guests are typically delightfully surprised by our flavors,” Case says. “They aren’t looking for just another hot sauce, appetizer or punch, and they end up enjoying the unexpectedly delicious flavors that are a result of our complex flavor combinations.”
