Wing Zone | 9
were very careful to not disclose their where-
abouts whenever someone inquired in-per-
son or over-the-phone when taking delivery
orders. “We didn’t even put our address on
any of the printed materials,” says Friedman.
“We’d get calls from all over Gainesville and
whenever someone asked where we were lo-
cated, we’d just say, ‘Near campus,’ and that’s
how we spent our first several months in
business.”
Working shifts congruent with student-
relevant hours of 4:00 pm to 2:00 am, Fried-
man says they embraced a simple business
model. “We were filling a void, which from a
consumer’s perspective is always a great thing
to do. We focused on one core item and hav-
ing a variety of flavors… since we were stu-
dents, we knew what students wanted.”
Yet, these wings were ultimately demand-
ed by an increasing audience of consumers
and a day came when the fraternity kitchen
would no longer suffice. Scott and Fried-
man went on to establish their first “legiti-
mate” Wing Zone in Gainesville in 1993.
Over the next few years, Wing Zone grew to
seven other locations strategically based near
Southeastern Conference colleges in Flori-
da, Georgia and South Carolina. Over time,
Wing Zone’s menu items and flavor profiles
also expanded, but the business model re-
mained much the same. While each location
can accommodate a small composite of dine-
in consumers, the operation largely flour-
ished as a take-out or delivery concept with
little in the way of overhead costs. “We’re not
a sports bar, and our environment focused on
take-out, drive-through or delivery compo-
nents with a little catering too. We still thrive
at nights or on weekends, especially during
sporting events, and everything is still freshly
cooked to order in eight to twelve minutes,”
says Friedman.
After seven years of consistent growth
and success, Friedman and Scott resolved
to take the next step by starting a franchise.
Since 2000, Wing Zones have not only be-
come highly visible venues on college cam-
puses throughout the southeast, but also
among a number of military bases and com-
munity commercial centers. To centralize
operations and enable quickly access areas of
the southeast, corporate headquarters were
established in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Starting a franchise was a big moment
for us and probably the best decision we ever
made, but it made sense because our business
