National chicken wing chain to open 6 Columbia locations

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Wing Zone Hot Chicken and Wings, a fast-casual brand serving made-to-order chicken wings, plans to bring at least six new locations to Columbia and its surrounding communities over the next five years.

Wing Zone Chicken and Wings is continuously recognized by industry leaders and peers for its innovation and stand-out performance, a news release stated. The restaurant was featured on Fast Casual’s 2022 Top 100 Movers & Shakers list. In addition, Q1 brought the addition of a new C-level executive to the roster – Michael Meche as chief restaurant officer.

The location of the Columbia-area restaurants has yet to be announced.

Alongside the unique menu offerings, Wing Zone Hot Chicken and Wings features a new color scheme using red as the primary color with black and white as secondary colors, the release stated. The branding reflects the restaurant’s identity and values as a modern, irreverent concept and continues to lean into its aviation-inspired branding.

Founded in 1993, Wing Zone is an international fast-casual restaurant franchise known for its cooked-to-order chicken wings and tenders. The brand is backed by a corporate leadership team that offers a continuous support program for franchise partners through online and field programs, which provides significant support for marketing, retail sales, operations and growth strategies through every stage of their ownership, the release stated.

Focusing on consumer trends of eating off-premise and through delivery, Wing Zone Hot Chicken and Wings prioritizes dry rub offerings, according to the release.

In August, the concept introduced two Nashville hot chicken-inspired menu items: Hot Chicken Tenders and Hot Chicken Sandwiches, the release stated.

Founded in 1993, Wing Zone is an international fast-casual restaurant franchise with more than 31 locations in North American and 30 restaurants internationally. The brand plans to grow to 200 profitable restaurants by 2025.