After an impressive sales performance in Q1, Wingers Restaurant & Alehouse is continuing to prove that it’s a best-in-class brand with staying power.
Comparing Feb. 1-28 and March 1-28, which is Wingers’ fiscal period, the fast-growing casual dining brand was up 9 percent in same-store sales. Wingers hit its highest volume week at one of its stores in March, bringing in $62,000. During the week of March 15, approximately 40 percent of Wingers’ systemwide locations noted record high sales, and the brand had two more stores achieve weekly sales records during the week of March 22.
Even with guests returning to in-restaurant dining, off-premise business continues to be a key driver for Wingers’ success. In Q1, takeout orders accounted for almost 50% of the brand’s total sales for company stores.
“We came out of the gate strong with remarkable sales in Q1,” says Wingers founder and CEO Eric Slaymaker. “We’re seeing a solid recovery with guests starting to dine in again, and our takeout program is continuing to bring in impressive numbers. I’m very proud of what Wingers has accomplished this quarter.”
In March, the brand made its highly anticipated return to Bountiful, Utah, where the very first Wingers opened in 1993. Opening week sales hit almost $43,000, despite being open for only six days with limited seating capacity. When including Wingers’ new Bountiful restaurant in its fiscal period corporate location sales, the brand was up 26 percent, as opposed to 9 percent.
Wingers also made development strides in Q1 with the relaunch of franchising. Over the past five years, Wingers has been updating its locations to its new “Restaurant & Alehouse” model, which has resulted in impressive sales increases in existing restaurants from 25% to over 100% in some cases. In addition, Wingers concentrated on enhancing its operations and support systems to be ready to handle added franchise growth. In March, the brand announced that it is now ready to bring its highly addictive wings and sticky fingers to more markets throughout the Intermountain West and Midwest regions.
“We’ve shown that our brand is well-positioned to spur tremendous growth, and now we’re on a mission to achieve our goal of opening in three new markets each year,” Slaymaker says. “This brand has so much potential, and we can’t wait to see where this venture back into franchising takes us. Our team has a lot to look forward to in the remainder of 2021.”
Combining award-winning wings, Sticky Fingers, burgers, salads, craft beers and great service, Wingers new Restaurant & Alehouse has perfected the art of giving guests the comfort of a family restaurant with the liveliness of a local bar. Renowned for being a fun and energetic gathering place for friends and family, Wingers is an outstanding local spot to socialize, watch a sports game, eat some amazing American food and drink a cold beer.
