Wings Etc. Unveils a New Brand Extension: Wings Etc. 2Go

The fast-casual franchise will open its first quick-service restaurant on January 20, 2026, in South Bend, Indiana.

FORT WAYNE, Ind.— Wings Etc. Grill & Pub is thrilled to announce a new concept called Wings Etc. 2Go, a quick-service extension of the brand’s focus on over-the-top flavor and over-the-top value as expressed in its full-service bar & grill restaurants.

The brand is planning a January 20, 2026, public grand opening for the first location, at 4921B W. Western Ave. in South Bend, Indiana — the market where Wings Etc. Grill & Pub got its start 31 years ago. The first Wings Etc. 2Go unit is a company-owned location.

The new limited-service venture is a response to the explosion in off-premise dining and the clear growth in consumer demand for fast, convenient, flavor-forward chicken, said Wings Etc. CEO Rob Hensmann.

“Our customers appreciate Wings Etc.’s breadth and depth of sauces, dips and rubs for a truly customized Big Flavor experience,” Hensmann said. “We’re offering the same exciting flavor variety in a new quick-service and carryout option that accommodates even more convenient ways to enjoy our award-winning wings.”

Leaders and store owners are well-poised to enter this competitive space.

“Wings Etc.’s depth of carryout experience allows for quick entry into the marketplace to meet consumer demand,” said Hensmann. “Our Wings Etc. leadership, our corporate store ownership and our key franchise owners have an extraordinary depth of quick-service and casual-dining career and ownership experience.”

Wings Etc. 2Go Menu and Format

The new QSR model will feature both GRUBBRR self-serve kiosks and two point-of-sale Revel systems, with limited seating, service counter shelves for mobile and third-party delivery pickup orders and a streamlined menu. No alcohol will be sold in Wings Etc. 2Go locations. The first location will be open from 10:30 a.m. to midnight to capture the lunch and dinner dayparts as well as late-night snacking.

The Wings Etc. 2Go menu is a pared-down version of Wings Etc.’s full-service menu, featuring the menu items guests most frequently order online and through the Wings Etc. Rewards loyalty app, including traditional and boneless wings, hand-breaded chicken sandwiches, crispy chicken wraps and a full lineup of 25 sauces, dips and rubs. In addition to Wings Etc. full-service favorites, new hand-breaded chicken fingers and hand-cut fries will be part of the Wings Etc. 2Go offering.

New hand-cut fries are only available in Wings Etc. 2Go stores and are offered along with mac ’n’ cheese as the featured sides. Snack-sized portions of Wings Etc.’s most popular appetizers — mozzarella sticks with marinara and pretzel bites with nacho cheese — will also be offered.

With a full slate of sauces, rubs and dips, including a new signature BFD (Burger-Fry-Dip) Sauce, the menu will deliver new, flavor-forward options, addressing continuing consumer demand for unique flavor experiences, even for lower-priced, out-of-home meal purchases. Chicken is an excellent canvas for bold and unique flavors and satisfying consumer appetite for innovation is the next front in the chicken wars.

There will also be two over-the-top “Big Flavor” snacking/sharing options: BFD Fries and BFD Mac. These are versions of ultra-loaded fries and mac ’n’ cheese, with diced crispy chicken, house-made BFD sauce, house-made ranch, nacho cheese and Cajun Dust. Those will be on the permanent menu, and guests can further customize the fries or mac ’n’ cheese with additional or alternative toppings.

The Case for Wings Etc. 2Go

Since 1994, Wings Etc. Grill & Pub has been wowing bar and grill patrons with an award-winning “Good Food, Great Times” experience. Wings Etc. has grown to 83 locations in 14 states, offering full-service dining, full bar service and carryout in restaurants ranging from 3,100 square feet to 6,200 square feet.

Systemwide, year after year, more than 25 percent of Wings Etc. sales are derived from convenience- and quality-minded carryout customers.

The initial rollout of Wings Etc. 2Go-branded materials for use in full-service restaurant carryout packaging and interior order/pickup areas began in early 2024. Wings Etc. developed the marks, branding, interior specifications, kitchen layout and other key elements internally.

Research involved both ongoing market analysis and competitive analysis, which led to early prototyping, first shared with stakeholders at the April 2024 Wings Etc. Brand Summit.

“Our team has hundreds of millions of dollars in quick-service sales supervision, management and ownership experience,” said Hensmann. “Our Wings Etc. 2Go leadership team and multiunit franchise partners have supervised, operationally managed or directly owned and operated quick-service brands such as Arby’s, Subway, Burger King, Quiznos, Fazoli’s, Zaxby’s, Penn Station, Teriyaki Madness, Rax Roast Beef, Arthur Treacher’s, Broadway Deli, Ritter’s Frozen Custard and The Spaghetti Shop. We know limited-service, and we understand both the opportunity and the competitive landscape.”

Benefits and Driving Forces

The Wings Etc. 2Go brand extension offers several significant benefits:

  • Lower startup costs and a lower break-even point, while maintaining key operational and menu advantages. Lower startup costs offer easier financing, greater flexibility in location and scalability, and greater accessibility to a wider range of potential franchisees.
  • A smaller footprint, which reduces rent costs, increases location opportunities and enables more efficiencies in operations, training and startup timetables
  • Fewer service staff, which translates to lower labor costs, easier staffing and labor management, simplified cross-training and fewer scheduling challenges
  • A simpler, focused menu, allowing for easier inventory management, faster prep, fewer operating supplies and fewer supplier dependencies
  • Simplified operations and reduced risk without alcohol or bar management

The launch of Wings Etc. 2Go also lands squarely in the path of burgeoning patterns of consumer behavior.

The popularity of chicken shows no signs of slowing its meteoric rise. Chicken is generally perceived as lower in saturated fat and more sustainable than beef;[1] health and sustainability are values key for a significant percentage of Generation Z, according to Toast.[2]

At the same time, visits to fried chicken restaurants have been trending, according to research firm Placer.ai. Growth in fast chicken continues for well-executed brands.[3] QSR chicken chains performed best in 2024, according to Circana’s Definitive U.S. Restaurant Ranking 2025 Report.

All generations want unique flavor experiences. Wings Etc. 2Go is in the “Big Flavor” business, perfectly positioned to leverage the ever-growing consumer desire for unique flavor experiences in foodservice. The Wings Etc. 2Go brand message, Big Flavor on the Fly, invites each guest to experiment with or re-create their favorite flavors. With at least 25 sauces, dips and rubs, Wings Etc. 2Go guests can build thousands of unique flavor combinations.

Off-premise restaurant food consumption, first promoted by the pandemic, has become an entrenched part of American culture; the National Restaurant Association reports that nearly 75 percent of restaurant traffic is now off-premise. The convenience and time savings of online ordering, takeout and delivery are especially important for Gen Z.[4] Wings Etc.’s move into the takeout arena aligns perfectly with the off-premise dining trend.

Wings Etc.’s confidence matches optimism in the QSR segment: In a May 2025 report from Nation’s Restaurant News, a survey found that more than two-thirds of QSR operators (69 percent) expected business to grow, compared with 57 percent of fast-casual operators.[5]

“There is broad growth in the core menu items for which Wings Etc. restaurants have decades of mastery: fast chicken, hand-breaded chicken and flavorful and globally inspired sauces and rubs,” said Hensmann. “Wings Etc. 2Go reflects big thinking in a smaller-market-share landscape.”

Wings Etc. 2Go Grand Opening

Wings Etc. leadership will host a media event at the new location at 4921B W. Western Ave. in South Bend, Indiana, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday, January 19, including fact sheets, carryout menus and Q&A opportunities. Wings Etc. Inc. CEO Rob Hensmann, Wings Etc. Inc. COO Chuck Moore and Wings Etc. Operating Company (WEOC Inc.) COO Ryan Flickinger are among those who will be on hand.

 The public grand opening celebration will begin at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 20. Wings Etc. will offer a free year of wings for the first 50 guests. There will be games for those waiting in line; an Instagram photo station inside the new location; and giveaways such as stickers with the new Wings Etc. 2Go logo and other merch.

The brand’s social media platforms will include photography and video of the location and the grand opening event.

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About Wings Etc.

 Founded in 1994 by Jim Weaver in northern Indiana, Wings Etc. is a brand specializing in over-the-top flavor and over-the-top value. The brand includes two concepts: the award-winning, full-service Wings Etc. Bar & Grill with sports programming and a full bar, and the nimble, quick-service restaurant Wings Etc. 2Go. Guests at both restaurants can choose and customize their Big Flavor from more than 20 delicious sauces, rubs and dips. See wingsetc.com.

With more than 80 corporate and franchise locations, Wings Etc. has enjoyed three decades of successful franchise growth. Wings Etc. has been listed among Entrepreneur magazine’s “Top 500 Franchises” and was included in the magazine’s “Top Chicken Franchises” in 2024. It has been named one of Franchise Business Review’s “Top Food Franchises” and a “Top 200 Franchise.” Wings Etc. has been included in Franchise Gator’s “Top 100 Franchises” and its “Fastest Growing Franchises”; it was among the “Top Emerging Franchises” in 2023. Wings Etc. is one of the Top 400 in Franchise Times; it has also been awarded “Best Wings” in multiple markets. See www.wingsetcfranchise.com.

The Wings Etc. Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, is dedicated to improving children’s lives. Learn more at wingsetcfoundation.com.

©2026 Wings Etc., Inc. Franchises independently owned and operated.

[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/garyocchiogrosso/2025/04/14/never-ending-chicken-sandwich-wars-americas-most-intense-qsr-battle/

[2] https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/gen-z-food-trends-and-statistics

[3] https://www.placer.ai/anchor/articles/chicken-chains-charge-ahead-in-2025

[4] https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/gen-z-food-trends-and-statistics

[5] https://images.go.informamail05.com/Web/PentonFOOD/%7Bd637d327-04c2-48eb-bfba-d168288d237c%7D_FINAL_NRN_Advanced_Food_Products_Research_-_Other_05_01_2025_1017808.pdf

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