Wing It On! Wins Best Buffalo Sauce in America for Second Consecutive Year
Repeat Champs Also Take Second Place in Best Dry Rub Category; Create National Buzz as Sponsors of U.S. Chicken Wing Eating Championship
September 11, 2023 // Franchising.com // BUFFALO, N.Y. - The chicken wing champs have taken another title, making it back-to-back wins as America’s “Best Buffalo Sauce.”
Wing It On! is “raising the belt” in victory following its second consecutive first-place award at 2023 National Buffalo Wing Festival held this past Labor Day weekend in the wing capital of the world, Buffalo, New York. Delivering a knockout blow to all others in the Traditional Medium Buffalo Sauce category, Wing It On! repeated as champ in the most coveted flavor because of its cultural significance – it is the flavor true wing nuts in Buffalo and beyond seek as the original Buffalo sauce recipe. Brand executives were on hand to accept the top “Restaurant Sauce Off” honors and maximize the company’s weekend-long presence at the Festival, welcoming thousands of attendees to its booth to try the championship-winning sauce.
“We started from humble beginnings, busting our humps to make it in this highly competitive segment of the restaurant industry. Now, we proudly stand as America's number one Buffalo sauce for two years running and could not be more hyped about what the future holds as we leverage our continual accomplishments,” said Matt Ensero, Founder and President of Wing It On! as well as the brand’s sauce creator. “We have shown that even a small competitor can take down giants in the wing segment, and that’s why we have huge growth trajectory ahead of us.”
Leaning into its underdog spirit, which has led to a championship-driven mentality, Wing It On! triumphed over several legendary institutions including Anchor Bar, the restaurant that invented Buffalo sauce in 1964, to win the Traditional Medium Buffalo Sauce category. Plus, the brand debuted another contender at the competition, this one in the Dry Rub category. Its new LavaBerry Pop Rocks Dry Rub, which drops this month across the nation, secured a second-place finish.
“This is HUGE and underscores why Wing It On! is designed to thrive! We're rewriting history, becoming the first and only wing chain to win the award for best Traditional Medium twice in a row at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in the very heartland of where Buffalo wings originate. And, we didn’t stop there…we showed our creativity in culinary with an incredible dry rub. Wing It On! isn’t just winning; we're redefining,” said Gregg Majewski, CEO and Founder of Craveworthy Brands, the parent company of Wing It On! “We’re leaving no doubt that Wing It On! is a serious contender in the wing restaurant game and is built for greatness. Franchise investors are taking notice of our differentiators, and now is the time to soar with us while whitespace is available in attractive franchise growth markets.”
While the undisputed chicken wing champ has firmly secured its place atop the wing segment, with its culinary mastery and distinctive restaurant experience, it also demonstrated its national presence as the official sponsor of the festival’s signature event, The Wing It On! U.S. Chicken Wing Eating Championship. Famed participants, including the event’s two-time defending champion Miki Sudo, newcomer James Webb and the current number one ranked professional eater in the world, Joey Chestnut, faced the task of devouring as many wings as possible soaked in the brand's Medium Buffalo Sauce within a 12-minute window, all while sporting Wing It On! branded game jerseys. In a thrilling turn of events, Webb channeled his underdog mentality and prevailed over Chestnut. The wing-eating champ ate a whopping 276 wings smothered in the nation's number one ranked sauce.
Wing It On! has built a devoted fan-base by redefining the norm for serving up crispy and fresh wings. Through a simplified and innovative menu, the brand has attracted customers who appreciate its commitment to authentic Buffalo-style wings, prepared to absolute perfection with its original sauce and seasonings. In addition to its well-known wings and boneless tenders, Wing It On! also presents handcrafted crispy chicken sandwiches, its famous loaded and seasoned fries that can be customized, as well as other mouthwatering sides.
Creating an exceptional wing experience goes back to the early 2000s when Ensero, and his friends would argue amongst themselves every football Sunday about who was driving 30-plus minutes to pick up wings from some of their favorite spots in surrounding towns. However, the distance and Styrofoam take out boxes would always result in soggy and cold wings once they got home. Ensero had enough, hence, Wing It On! was born. He opened the first Wing It On! in his hometown Waterbury, Connecticut, serving only the crispiest of wings that all true wing nuts crave.
To learn more about Wing It On!, visit: https://www.wingiton.com.
About Wing It On!
Since 2011 Wing It On! has focused on giving fans a truly exceptional wing experience that starts with fresh, never-frozen classic wings and tenders cooked to perfection and tossed in award-winning sauces and dry rubs. The line-up of bigger, juicier, hand-crafted chicken sandwiches, unique dumpling creations and a selection of seasoned fries are also making fans continue to choose WIO! for game time, or anytime hunger strikes.
In 2022, Wing It On! was named to the Inc. 5000 list of America’s “Fastest-Growing Private Companies” and earned the title of “America’s #1 Buffalo Sauce” at the 2022 and 2023 at the National Buffalo Wing Festival. Previously, Wing It On! was named to QSR Magazine’s annual “40/40” List, recognizing 40 emerging limited-service restaurant brands that have fewer than 40 locations as well as Franchise Dictionary’s annual “100 Game Changers” List.
Part of the Craveworthy Brands portfolio, Wing It On! joins a collection of emerging casual and fast casual dining brands, The Budlong, Krafted Burger + Tap and Lucky Cat Poke Company. The parent company is dedicated to invigorating and supercharging legacy brands, which includes Genghis Grill, BD’s Mongolian and Flat Top Grill, while nurturing and growing emerging brands.
With low initial investments and prime markets available, Wing It On! is actively seeking qualified franchise candidates. For more information on the Wing It On! franchise opportunity, visit https://franchise.wingiton.com/.
SOURCE Wing It On!
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