National Buffalo Wing Franchise Increases Same Store Sales by Nearly 16 Percent
Winston-Salem, NC (RestaurantNews.com) Already, East Coast Wings & Grill is on the path toward exponential franchise development and sales growth in 2015. The North Carolina-based chicken wing franchise flexed some serious muscle in January and has already experienced a nearly 16 percent growth in same store sales.
East Coast Wings & Grill is well on its way to achieving 45 consecutive quarters of positive same store sales. As consumers’ love affair for the company’s national award winning wings is heating, the company’s flavorful menu mix is taking solid ground as a consumer favorite.
With 82 locations currently operating or in various stages of development, the company opened five new restaurants in 2014 and plans to open eight additional locations in 2015. Furthermore, 2014 marked the sixth consecutive year that East Coast Wings & Grill finished with new store unit growth above 20 percent, which led the brand to a four percent increase in sales over 2013.
Additionally, as most franchise brands have traditionally measured their operating performance by comparing their corporate owned stores to their franchise owned stores, East Coast Wings & Grill has created a whole new age of franchise modeling. With 90 percent of their franchise system consisting of multi-unit owners, the company has created two distinct EBITDAs in order to support the different ownership styles within their brand, such as multi-unit owner-operated and portfolio multi-unit operated. With 65 percent of locations experiencing record sales in 2014 over the previous year, East Coast Wings & Grill delivered an average multi-unit owner-operated EBITDA of 21.20 percent and portfolio multi-unit operated EBITDA of 14.02 percent.
“Our company is opening a whole new discussion on the best tactics for supporting different styles of ownership within a franchise brand,” said Sam Ballas, CEO of East Coast Wings & Grill. “Our franchise system heavily focuses on multi-unit ownership and it is crucial that we constantly develop new methods for supporting the various ownership styles within our system.”
With a focus on great-tasting, freshly prepared food, 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, Ribs and more.
“Our laser-like focus and innovative menu offerings continue to strengthen our market share,” added Ballas. “The continued development of our Unit Level Economics division has set in motion newly developed proprietary benchmarks and key performance indicators ultimately helping our franchisees execute and position East Coast Wings & Grill as a leader in the family-friendly casual dining space.”
The company is continuing to target rapid expansion in 2015-16 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 82 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:
Stacy Rubenstein
Fishman Public Relations
847-945-1300
srubenstein@fishmanpr.com
