The online-only wing brands could bring in those customers and help the companies capitalize on the trend. "We clearly see the potential to exceed $150 million in the brand's first year."Ĭasual dining brands like Chili's and Applebee's have long marketed themselves as spots to visit in person, so customers may not think of them as restaurants that would do takeout or delivery well - even though they have wings on their menus. "Sales continue to build every week," he said. The concept is doing well so far, said Brinker CEO Wyman Roberts during an August conference call discussing the company's second-quarter financial results. He added that Neighborhood Wings is available at 750 locations through Grubhub.Īnd Brinker International ( EAT), which owns Chili's and Maggiano Little Italy, recently launched "It's Just Wings," which is available via delivery platform DoorDash and has a limited menu: wings, a variety of sauces, curly fries and, for dessert, fried oreos with chocolate sauce. "At Applebee's restaurants, wings are a top selling menu item, especially for To Go in 2020," said Scott Gladstone, vice president of strategy and development at Applebee's in a statement emailed to CNN Business. The menu item's success has captured the attention of other food chains, Saleh noted, explaining that "they see the growth in the category and the viability of the offering."įor example, Applebee's introduced a "Neighborhood Wings by Applebee's" virtual brand in the spring. You can buy to feed a family or multiple people, so it's more communal," Saleh said. But growth has accelerated during the pandemic because chicken wings are great for delivery and feeding groups of people. Wings have been becoming more popular in recent years, said Peter Saleh, restaurant analyst with BTIG. Sales at Atomic Wings, a smaller chain based in New York City, spiked up to 100% in some locations, said CEO Zak Omar. "This has been the greatest sales surge we had in our 27-year history," said co-founder and CEO Matt Friedman. Wing Zone, which has about 70 locations in the United States, has seen sales spike about 25% from March to September compared to last year. Smaller wing chains have seen growth, too. "Wingstop's primary hurdle has been a lack of consumer awareness," the report noted, adding that "a substantial number of new customers have been introduced to the brand." The brand could continue to grow during football season, according to a September industry update from Stifel. In the 13 weeks that ended on June 27, sales at domestic restaurants open at least a year jumped nearly 32%. Wingstop has seen sales soar during the pandemic. Hottovy said in a report last week that the chain is among restaurants that have "separated themselves from the pack in recent months." Shares of Wingstop ( WING), a chicken wing chain with nearly 1,300 restaurants nationwide and roughly 160 locations abroad, have popped nearly 60% this year. And big restaurant chains from Applebee's to Domino's want in. America's love for chicken wings has only grown during the pandemic.
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