News

5 ways Bar-B-Cutie has quadrupled wing sales

With 48 million Americans ordering takeout and consuming over 1 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday, the chain decided to see if it could capitalize on the demand by rolling out its own version of chicken wings.

February 10, 2016

Holiday food has always been a very profitable revenue stream for Bar-B-Cutie Smokehouse Restaurants, but the Super Bowl is on a playing field of its own, said Brett McFarland COO Bar-B-Cutie Smokehouse. With 48 million Americans ordering takeout and consuming over 1 billion chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday, the chain decided to see if it could capitalize on the demand by rolling out its own version of chicken wings. Since debuting the wings, Bar-B-Cutie has quadrupled wing sales.

"Focused effort continues to help Bar-B-Cutie hit record-breaking wing sales," said McFarland, so attributes the high wing success to five things:

1. Using fresh, not frozen wings.
2. The right texture, a perfect balance of crispy skin and tender meat.
3. Great flavor. Smoking with local wood adds a distinct flavor, and offering a variety of sauce choices give consumers even more taste.
4. Solid customer service before, during and after the sale.
5. Using social media correctly. McFaland said the key is simple, engaging Facebook and Twitter ads.

Wings have not always been on Bar-B-Cutie's menu but are quickly earning a permanent spot, said Jim Anderson, the franchisee, who persuaded Bar-B-Cutie to add his wing recipe to the menu as a temporary promotion.

"Our wing sales growth is astounding," he said. "By listening to our franchisees, offering a quality product and engaging our customers with a consistent, clear message, we are able to surpass past goals and achieve unimaginable success."