Operations

Atomic Wings doubling footprint

Photo: Atomic Wings

March 1, 2024

Atomic Wings, a 25-unit franchise, is doubling down on growth plans. Last year, it opened five restaurants, awarded 45 area representative contracts and is on track to open at least 20 stores by year's end.

"We aim to be the next big thing, and we've achieved this through organic natural growth, primarily driven by word of mouth," Atomic Wings CEO Zak Omar said in a company press release. "This distinguishes us from competitors who rely heavily on venture capitalist funding. Our growth is a testament to the excitement and loyalty of our consumers and those who want to be a part of our journey."

Atomic Wings has built relationships with area representatives, who will develop 275 locations across New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and New Jersey, which sold out in January.

The team is also looking to sign multiple new deals in several states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, Georgia and Florida.

"We'd really like to strengthen our foothold in the Midwest and on the East Coast," Mike Harmon, vice president of operations, said in the release. "We have a lot of activity in those areas already, so we've honed in those markets for even more strategic development."

With the growth of its footprint, Atomic Wings is also innovating around its prototype. The brand is expected to launch the first drive-thru wing spot in Houston in Spring 2024, and it continues to target drive-thru sites. Because chicken wings can take up to 20 minutes to cook, not many wing concepts can offer efficient drive-thru service. Atomic Wings, however, has managed to streamline the process, cutting the process to about four minutes to become the first major wing restaurant to have drive-thru options, Omar said

"We believe these are fantastic opportunities to expand our brand visibility and offer consumers a chance to savor our delicious offerings," he said.

Menu offerings continue to expand, too. Last year, the brand launched flatbreads topped with all-natural boneless chicken.

"We're working on some different flavors and menu items," Harmon said. "We plan to launch a robust catering menu later this year. We have Korean barbecue bites in the works right now and we're also pretty excited about our Nashville Hot sandwich and tenders. Nashville Hot chicken is something that you have to do just right, and we're still putting the finishing touches on the recipe, but that is going to be a superstar product for us."