Posted:14-August-2024
Nurturing the First Wingers' Franchise
Biant and his brother-in-law Raja were Wingers very first franchisees. Biant had finished his degree in mechanical engineering from Wolverhampton University but Covid meant it was challenging finding a job. With a background working at the Cosmo Buffet Restaurant for 11 years, with five of those in a managerial role, Biant thought the food industry could be a good option. A friend and fellow student from Wolverhampton introduced Biant to Bill Sunner, one of the founders of Wingers and it was a case of being in the right place, at the right time.
Biant explains: “My friend from university had worked for Bill while he was studying, he knew the company was looking to expand and suggested a chat. My family we also thinking that opening a food business could be a great idea. At the time, my brother-in-law Raja was also looking for a job after finishing his degree in business management, so we all got together for a meeting. We got on well and we loved the fresh buttermilk fried chicken. We opened in Wolverhampton in 2022 and the rest is history!"
Raja confirms: “I’ll be honest, it was pretty tough opening the very first franchised Wingers. At the time, electricity and gas prices were very high, plus we had rent and staff costs to cover and no-one knew about Wingers’ quality food then. My business degree was helpful as I’d learned about balancing costs and we knew it would take a year to turn into a going concern, so we held our nerve.”
Biant continues: “We questioned what we’d done on more than one occasion! We are both very hands-on in the store and with the founders’ help, together we treated the first franchise like a new born baby. We looked after the business 24/7, nurturing its growth and together discovered what worked and what didn’t. Slowly, sales began to rise as our reputation for great, fresh fried chicken grew. Fast-forward almost two years and we are now ready to invest in our second Wingers store and a third may not be out of the question one day.”
“The secret of our success is maintaining great quality in the food we serve. We also treat our staff more like our friends than employees. They know what is expected and we all work together to achieve the same goal, which is happy, satisfied customers who love our food.”
Raja confirms: “It has certainly got easier over time. As more Wingers have opened, the variable costs such as oil and meat have reduced due to economies of scale and increased buying power. Aggregators such as UberEATS and Just Eat have helped boost sales and now we are in a great place and ready to expand.”
Biant explains: “Bill and his sons Amran and Dylan have been incredibly supportive. They are always available to help and understand the challenges we faced as they’d also been there when they opened Wingers initially. As Wingers’ first franchisees, we gave 100% and they did too.
“My mechanical engineering degree taught me patience, patience and more patience. If something was not working, we’d change it and try again. These skills have been useful in growing our Wingers franchise business. As a restaurant manager I also learned the importance of excellent customer service and an immaculately clean store plus how the very best, tastiest food wins over customers every time. Happy staff will look after your store and your brand, so looking after our team and treating them well is also key.
“We now feel privileged to have been the first Wingers franchisees and to have played a part in the incredible success story of the brand. We are now looking forward to continuing our journey with Wingers and opening our second store very soon, so watch this space!”
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