Wing Zone unveils spinoff Hot Chicken concept in Las Vegas

Dive Brief:

Wing Zone launched a spinoff brand with a menu focused on Nashville-style hot chicken on Friday, the company said in a statement emailed to Restaurant Dive.
Wing Zone Hot Chicken and Wings Restaurant, currently has one restaurant in Las Vegas, which opened on Friday. It features hot chicken tenders and hot chicken sandwiches, and emphasizes dry-rub wings on the rest of its menu.
Hot chicken concepts have grown rapidly in the last several years. Brands like Dave’s Hot Chicken have leapt from a handful of units to national prominence, and smaller players like New England-based Haven Hot Chicken have rapidly built regional bases.

Dive Insight:

Wing Zone Hot Chicken and Wings Restaurant is optimized for off-premise traffic, mirroring the development plans of major chains across segments. But Wing Zone didn’t respond to a request to clarify how this store model differs from its traditional restaurants, or if Wing Zone will eventually offer the concept’s Nashville-style hot chicken items, before press time.

“Wing Zone Hot Chicken and Wings prioritizes dry rub offerings, which deliver a more quality product when not eaten immediately,” the company said. This focus on dry rub differentiates the hot chicken concept’s menu from Wing Zone’s offerings, which include a wider variety of sauces alongside dry rub wings.

The hot chicken spinoff also features updated branding to cater to shifting consumer preferences, Ashley Morris, CEO of Wing Zone, said in a statement.

A Nashville-style concept could put Wing Zone, which has about 30 North American and 60 international locations, in a position to benefit from booming consumer demand for hot chicken. Hot chicken first emerged on the national scene before the COVID-19 pandemic, after a long period as a food specific to largely Black neighborhoods in Nashville, according to The New Yorker. Since then, chains have begun capitalizing on consumer interest, with KFC launching hot chicken products for a time in 2016, and Dave’s Hot Chicken riding a wave of social media interest to national franchising growth.