Franchising

Wing It On signs Florida deal

Provided

October 5, 2022

Wing It On has an signed agreement with Florida entrepreneur Jayesh Patel to open a store in Mount Dora. Building on the momentum of the brand's entrance into Florida last year with two planned locations in Orlando, the agreement represents a part of the brand's larger growth strategy to lock in 25 to 30 additional units by year's end in Florida and other regions across the country, said Matt Ensero, founder and CEO of Wing It On.

"Central Florida is a key area for our franchise growth, and entering the Mount Dora market with a business owner as familiar with the area as Jayesh is a great next step for us," Ensero said in a company press release. "I look forward to expanding our one-of-a-kind chicken concept's presence in the Sunshine State."

Patel, who previously owned three gas stations throughout the Mount Dora area, wanted to get into the restaurant industry and ended up choosing to become a franchisee for Wing It On.

"I did my due diligence by researching a number of different brands to franchise with, and Wing It On! really stood out from the rest," he said in the release. "For one, the financials were very appealing, and you can't beat a delicious menu and support from a passionate corporate team. The Mount Dora community will greatly enjoy and benefit from this quality chicken joint."

Ensero opened his first location in his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut.

The chain now has 10 locations and a food truck with takeout and delivery driving nearly 90% of store revenues, meaning overhead is kept low with just a small portion of the restaurant reserved for dine-in. Locations can range from less than 1,000 square feet up to 1,700 square feet, with the sweet spot being 1,200 to 1,500-square-foot stores, Ensero said.