By Sheyla Torres
Copiague will soon be home to New York’s first Wing It On!, a franchise dine-in and takeout restaurant founded in Connecticut and known for its buffalo-style chicken wings.
Restaurateurs Sid Kapur and Manny Parhar, who also operate three Wetzel’s Pretzels and two Häagen-Dazs shops in New Jersey, will open the Wing It On! location in mid-February, though an exact date is still to be determined.
“Expanding into New York is the perfect next step in accomplishing our growth goals for this year,” said CEO Matt Ensero, who founded Wing It On! in Waterbury, C.T. in 2011. “We’re thrilled to welcome Sid and Manny, whose extensive experience in the restaurant industry will no doubt be an asset to us in establishing ourselves in a new state. I look forward to seeing what they’ll accomplish.”
The up-and-coming wing joint chain specializes in chicken “wings and ‘wiches.” Its menu includes 16 different sauces, some of them only found at certain locations. There are also six wing rub flavors to choose from.
Although wings are the main attraction, Wing It On! also offers chicken tenders and nuggets, eight different types of chicken sandwiches, seasoned fries, and a few small sides and desserts. The restaurants typically have a modest-sized dining area and rely greatly on takeout and delivery orders.
The wings chain has captured the attention of foodie audiences online with its Wings of Prey Challenge, where ambitious wing eaters, including some social media influencers, have attempted to eat as many hot wings as possible in eight minutes.
Wing It On! has also established notoriety sponsoring the 2021 Chicken Wing Eating Championship, where they provided the wing sauce for the competition. The franchise has locations in six other states: Texas, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
The new Wing It On! will open at 854 West Montauk Hwy. in Copiague.
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