Wings Etc. Sports Bar and Grill Celebrates 30 Years of Good Food, Great Times

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August 26, 2024 // Franchising.com // FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Wings Etc. Grill & Pub is proud to mark 30 years since founder Jim Weaver opened the first restaurant in 1994 in Mishawaka, Ind.

Weaver saw an opportunity in the market to expand upon the increasingly popular sports bar format; with four TVs and a storefront, he set out to create a family-friendly sports bar.

Wings Etc. has remained committed to its mission to provide a sports bar experience that results in happier people, deeper relationships and stronger communities, maintaining an ethos of giving back that began with a local softball team.

From a Marathon to a Sprint

Weaver was a hands-on owner, building the menu, managing people and bussing tables. Within the first 10 years, he added a second location, this time in South Bend, Ind. “Then I wanted a third one in Elkhart, Ind., and I decided to seek out a franchising firm, lawyers that could help me get an FDD together, because I couldn't be in both South Bend and Mishawaka,” Weaver says. “I couldn't see how I was going to get to a third location. There just weren’t enough hours in the day.”

As luck would have it, mutual contacts put Weaver in touch with Rob Hensmann, now CEO at Wings Etc. Inc., and Eric Stuczynski, now chief procurement and development officer and president of the Wings Etc. Foundation.

“Rob and I had the opportunity to meet with Jim Weaver in the Mishawaka, Ind., store. And we immediately just fell in love with the menu,” says Stuczynski. “It was fun food, you know. Wings was fun, and it still is fun.”

Expanding the Etc.

The first Wings Etc. menu celebrated a bigger-is-better philosophy, with half-pound sandwiches and a footlong hot dog that Weaver loved. The jumbo 34 oz. beer mug has remained, but the rest of the lineup has evolved since 1994.

Wings Etc. added pretzel bites to the appetizer menu; not only is it a best seller, but it also helps defray the volatile cost of chicken wings. The brand re-engineered the burger program, including a new value-priced diner burger. Wings Etc. secured a license to serve spirits, important in markets such as Chicago. The brand also added wraps. Their latest menu extension is testing pizza.

“It’s a pretty tall order, to try to enter into the pizza market, because everybody's an expert when it comes to pizza. And their expertise is very specific to what they grew up with,” says Hensmann. “And pizza is very different. Even in our group, we have people who have lived in Chicago, people who have lived in New York. Pizza’s kind of a passionate thing. So our strategy has been to keep it simple. We are in between the lines when it comes to pizza. We're not Chicago style. We're not New York style. We’re more of a tavern- or bar-style pizza, focusing on premium ingredients. We’re staying in our lane — wings is still our thing. Pizza is a nice accompaniment to go with that.”

The Celebration

Wings Etc. will host a birthday bash at participating locations on August 28, 2024, with discounts on wings and schooners. They will offer birthday cake on a first come-first served basis.

SOURCE Wings Etc. Grill & Pub

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