Wings Etc. Grill & Pub this past week marked 30 years since founder Jim Weaver opened the first restaurant in 1994 in Mishawaka. The Wings Benton Harbor location is on Mall Drive near Lowe’s and the Secretary of State office.
Weaver saw an opportunity in the market to expand upon the increasingly popular sports bar format; with four TVs and a storefront, he set out to create a family-friendly sports bar.
Since then the company has flourished, with 80 locations today (more than half of which are franchised). And yet Wings Etc. has remained committed to its mission to provide a sports bar experience that results in happier people, deeper relationships and stronger communities, maintaining an ethos of giving back that began with a local softball team.
From a Marathon to a Sprint
Weaver was a hands-on owner, building the menu, managing people and bussing tables. Within the first four years, he added a second location, this time in South Bend, Ind. “Then I wanted a third one in Elkhart, Ind., and I decided to seek out a franchising firm,” Weaver says. “I couldn’t see how I was going to get to a third location. There just weren’t enough hours in the day.”
As luck would have it, mutual contacts put Weaver in touch with Rob Hensmann, now CEO at Wings Etc. Inc., and Eric Stuczynski, now chief procurement and development officer and president of the Wings Etc. Foundation.
“Rob and I had the opportunity to meet with Jim Weaver in the Mishawaka, Ind., store. And we immediately just fell in love with the menu,” says Stuczynski. “It was fun food, you know. Wings was fun, and it still is fun.”
That was in 2004. Soon after, the trio developed a Franchise Disclosure Document and began pursuing franchise growth in addition to opening new corporate locations, adding 77 new stores in the following two decades.
Expanding the Etc.
The first Wings Etc. menus celebrated a bigger-is-better philosophy, with half-pound sandwiches and a footlong hot dog that Weaver loved. The jumbo 34 oz. beer mug has remained, but the rest of the lineup has evolved since 1994.
Wings Etc. added pretzel bites to the appetizer menu (now a best seller); added a value-priced diner burger; secured a license to serve spirits; and added wraps, which proved to be a game-changer. (Weaver’s new favorite menu item is the Crispy Bacon Chicken Wrap with Southwest Ranch Sauce.) Their latest menu extension is testing pizza.
“It’s a pretty tall order, to try to enter into the pizza market, because everybody’s an expert when it comes to pizza. And their expertise is very specific to what they grew up with,” says Hensmann. “We are in between the lines when it comes to pizza. We’re not Chicago style. We’re not New York style. We’re more of a tavern- or bar-style pizza, focusing on premium ingredients. We’re staying in our lane — wings is still our thing. Pizza is a nice accompaniment to go with that.”
It’s a foundational strategy, because Wings Etc.’s signature dish, chicken wings, is objectively a favorite. “We’ve always had great wings,” Hensmann says. “Back in 1994 and 1998 and 2004, we won best wings in most of the markets that we’re in. We’ve been in the Michiana market for 30 years now, and we’ve won best wings every year since. And that continues to be really the secret for success with us.”
Sharing the Success
“Giving back is in our DNA as a company, starting with Jim Weaver back in the ’90s,” Stuczynski says.
Apropos for a sports bar, among Weaver’s initial charitable initiatives was sponsoring community softball teams. One of the first was led by Mark Witucki, Weaver’s coworker at the Big Eight accounting firm where Weaver had been a director of electronic data processing. Witucki remains a regular.
“We have a group of guys who have played softball together for almost 40 years,” Witucki says. “Jim has sponsored our league team for the last 20 years. The reins of the team have been handed over to our sons and their friends these past few years, but not before we won many league championships and a South Bend city title sponsored by Wings Etc. in 2015.
“Amazing what he has done in 30 years,” Witucki says of Weaver. “I’m so happy for him because he’s been one of my best friends for almost 40 years and has worked so hard to make it happen.”
“Jim would always give — especially locally — to families that were in need of something,” says Stuczynski. “Maybe a house burned down or a child was sick; he’d always find those people, whether it was through the news or through word of mouth, and he would always help those people. And it was something that, when we joined up with Jim in the early 2000s, he continued to do. He made it a point to go out and find families like that and then people in need.”
The philosophy has been embraced across the brand; franchise owners and corporate store managers alike regularly support causes in their communities. In 2022 Wings Etc. decided to harness this spirit of giving back, and in 2023 the Wings Etc. Foundation was born.
“We decided to put together the foundation to really start to spread our wings — no pun intended — to help people more on a national level,” Stuczynski says. “Our mission is improving children’s lives. In doing that, then we looked amongst our team, and many of the members on our team had had experiences with St. Jude.”
The Wings Etc. Foundation presented St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with a check for $50,000 at the Wings Etc. Brand Summit held April 15–17, 2024. The contribution reflects the generosity of Wings Etc. consumers and the mission of The Wings Etc. Foundation.
“Hopefully, by the end of this year, we’ll be pushing that $100,000 mark,” Stuczynski says.
Big Plans for a Smaller Footprint
One of the biggest changes ahead for Wings Etc. is a new to-go limited-service concept. It’ll be a fast-casual experience with a focus on the pickup window, carryout and mobile ordering. The company is looking for real estate now.
“The big thing right now is our smaller footprint, which we hope appeals to not only customers but investors also,” Weaver says. “We want to offer cheaper entry fees and appeal to Generation Z or whoever may be choosing to eat at home but still wants restaurant-style food.”
Looking Ahead to the Next 30 Years
Change may be inevitable, but after 30 years, Wings Etc. knows its demographic. “The one thing that doesn’t change though is you’ve got to have a great product, and you have to give great service,” Hensmann says. “This will continue to be our focus as we go forward, and likely will be the reason that we continue to see success.”
Weaver fully expects Wings Etc. to stand the test of time in the coming 30 years. “I’ll be 104. So I may not be around,” he chuckles. “At any rate, we want to position ourselves for the future. And I’m not kidding when I say I believe our intentions are to be around and to pass on to a younger generation a legacy that they can build on, that we can leave to our families, that we are still a relevant restaurant operation, and that we will still be around and hopefully have many more locations than 80 units by then.
“It’s been an interesting journey. I’m really proud of everybody who is leading this company right now.”
Content for this article was supplied by Wings, Etc.
