As published on RestaurantNews.com
Winston-Salem, NC (RestaurantNews.com) As the growth of the restaurant sector remains a front runner in the franchise industry, East Coast Wings & Grill, a North Carolina-based chicken franchise concept, experienced a banner year in 2014 with record sales.
Impressing both consumer and investor palates, the franchise continues to answer demand for a family-friendly casual dining experience with a fresh, flavorful menu, and a viable franchise opportunity that focuses on unit level economics to support both operations and development. With 80 locations currently operating or in various stages of development, East Coast Wings & Grill has maintained consistent growth year after year. In 2014, the company experienced a 4 percent growth in sales over 2013, which brings East Coast Wings & Grill to 11 consecutive years of positive same store sales.
Furthermore, the company opened five new restaurants in 2014 and experienced a nearly 20 percent growth in new store units in 2014. In addition to new restaurant growth, five new franchise agreements were signed, which includes two area development agreements for territories in North Carolina and the greater Memphis, Tennessee area.
East Coast Wings & Grill plans to continue on this steady pace in order to maintain brand integrity and consistency, key derivatives from the Unit Level Economics strategy. With plans to open eight new restaurant locations in 2015, the company has kicked off the year with a signed deal in Greenville, South Carolina.
“Having a corporate focus in supporting our franchise system in areas of operations and customer service, as well as a laser-like focus on unit level metrics, allows us to quickly implement strategy in units when they need support,” said Sam Ballas, CEO of East Coast Wings & Grill. “Being part of a system that provides timely results in any scenario is one of the driving factors behind the strength of our system and steady pace of our continued growth.”
With a focus on great-tasting, freshly prepared food for families, rather than alcohol (alcohol sales attribute for less than 11 percent of total sales), the burgeoning brand creates a warm and inviting décor that leaves customers feeling a sense of community. And while its 75 flavors and 675 combinations of buffalo style wings remain a staple of the concept, East Coast Wings & Grill’s six-page menu also includes such casual dining fare as burgers, salads, sandwiches and more.
“Our significant increase in franchise development and sales is a true testament to the strength of our brand and support system,” said Lee Easley, Senior Vice President of Brand Development. “As a result, the franchise system continues to grow with savvy multi-unit operators and investors who realize this type of profitability is not common in the casual dining segment of the restaurant industry. Consequently, East Coast Wings & Grill continues to lead the buffalo wing segment in profitability and franchisee satisfaction.”
The company is continuing to target rapid expansion in 2015 with the goal of executing franchise agreements in markets such as Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Tampa, Fla., Richmond, VA and Columbia, SC. For more information about the East Coast Wings & Grill franchise opportunity, visit www.eastcoastwingsfranchise.com.
About East Coast Wings & Grill
East Coast Wings & Grill, a fast growing casual dining chicken wing franchise, has 80 locations currently operating or in various stages of development. The franchise concept not only caters to the chicken wing lover by offering 75 different flavors of chicken wings in any of nine heat intensities, but also salads, wraps, sandwiches, burgers and more, all using fresh, not frozen ingredients. To learn more about the franchise concept or about exciting franchise opportunities please visit www.eastcoastwingsfranchise.com for more information.
Contact:
Mary Hedge
Fishman Public Relations
847-945-1300
mhedge@fishmanpr.com
Can you guess how many chicken wings East Coast Wings will sell on Super Bowl Sunday? Sam Ballas made his prediction live on Bloomberg Business news. Watch the video here.