QSR Magazine: Wing Zone Recognized Among the Top 11 Restaurants Positioned to Endure the COVID Pandemic

For many, COVID-19 has taken a toll on businesses — especially those in the restaurant industry. With locations closing and reopening at lower capacities, restaurant owners were really only left with two options: to pivot operations rapidly or close their doors for good. But those options weren’t cutting it for Matt Friedman, CEO and founder of the fast-casual wing franchise Wing Zone**.

Friedman developed a model for the brand that was built to sustain a global pandemic. A recent roundup in** QSR Magazine **dives deep into the factors that contributed to the top 11 restaurant brands’ growth amidst COVID-19 including digital sales, menu updates and store development among others.

While many restaurants have leaned heavily on third-party delivery services like Postmates and UberEats to keep sales afloat, Friedman stuck by his original method of in-house delivery. Not only has he found that this method improved customer loyalty, but it also allowed Wing Zone to add hundreds of jobs to their roster. Pre-pandemic, this wouldn’t have been possible given that the demand for delivery drivers with third-party services was extremely high. In sticking with their in-house delivery model, Wing Zone has seen unprecedented growth.

“I would say one of the most impactful things that has happened with us during COVID-19 is we control the experience,” says Friedman. “It appears to me that the consumer is trusting dealing with the brand directly rather than through a third-party.”