Wing Zone Scores a Double Win at Atlanta Wings Festival with 'People's Choice' and 'Celebrity Choice' Awards

Atlanta, April 25, 2005 – Wing Zone announced today it won the coveted “People’s Choice Award” voted by guests who attended last week’s first-ever Atlanta Wings Festival, as well as the “Celebrity Choice” award selected by local celebrities and media.

During a pre-festival V.I.P. party, local Atlanta celebrities awarded the “Celebrity Choice” to Wing Zone for its famous Garlic Parmesan wings. Later that weekend, Wing Zone’s popularity was again highlighted as the quickly growing franchise secured the “People’s Choice” award for its Nuclear wings, thanks to the voting of tens of thousands of wing lovers in attendance at the festival.

Wing Zone gained national notoriety last year when it won “Out of Town Festival Favorite” at the 2004 National Buffalo Wing Festival (in Buffalo New York). The franchise had previously claimed the “Most Creative Sauce Award” at the 2003 National Wing Fest, for its Garlic Parmesan flavored chicken wings – furthering Wing Zone’s reputation for being the home of the best Buffalo chicken wings in the nation.

At the Atlanta Wings Festival, Wing Zone’s popularity was once again evidenced by the long lines at their booth (at one point reaching close to two city blocks long), as festival attendees returned repeatedly to sample another one of their 25 signature sauces.

“Winning two of the festival’s most prestigious awards is a great honor for us. And to do it in our home town makes it even sweeter,” said Stan Friedman, executive vice president and partner in the Atlanta based franchise company. Friedman further noted that Wing Zone’s 25 signature flavors were recently featured on Al Roker’s Prime time Food Network program “Roker on the Road.” “The national recognition is great, but when your home town locals herald you, it really makes you feel very proud.”

The Atlanta Wings Festival was presented by the Sweet Auburn Business & Improvement Association – the recognized organization that represents the interests of the Auburn Avenue community in promoting development, safety and historic preservation.

“With our home-base in Atlanta it was important for us to support this historical local event as a key sponsor and to share our beloved wings and sauces with our home town constituency,” Friedman said. “Supporting this event offered us the perfect opportunity to celebrate our success, while also drawing attention to Sweet Auburn’s future, not just its past.”

The Sweet Auburn Historic District, the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr., is on the verge of major redevelopment. The festival’s objective was to “reintroduce” the area to Atlanta residents and promote the development of new shops, new housing and a whole new spirit that connects the district’s exciting future with a rich, vibrant past, said Chuck Lewis, Chairman of the Sweet Auburn Business & Improvement Association (SABIA).

About Wing Zone

While earning customer loyalty from consumers nationwide, Wing Zone is also receiving recognition from within the food service and franchise industries. In fact, Wing Zone was rated a Top 20 New Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine (Jan. 2004), included in Bond’s Top 100 Franchise Opportunities, ranked in Franchise Times’ Fast 55 and was recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing, privately held companies in America. Wing Zone was founded in 1991 at the University of Florida by Matt Friedman and Adam Scott, who cooked wings with homemade sauces in their fraternity house kitchen and delivered them to fellow college students. After expanding with several Wing Zone locations, Scott and Friedman began franchising Wing Zone in 1999. Wing Zone currently has more than 70 locations with 35 more in development to open by the end of 2005.

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