Wing Snob emphasizes simple operations as the Michigan-based franchise pushes a menu of chicken wings and fries.
When Brian Shunia first approached Jack Mashini about partnering with him on a new chicken concept called Wing Snob, his buddy kindly took a pass.
“I told Brian, ‘Thanks, but no thanks. This isn’t for me.’ I’m not really a food kind of guy,’” recalled Mashini, a former master franchisee who owned nearly two dozen Cricket Wireless stores.
It didn’t take long for Mashini to become a Wing Snob convert and restart his franchise career. After reluctantly agreeing to work in the kitchen at their first Wing Snob restaurant in the Detroit suburb of Livonia, Michigan, in 2017, he and Shunia were overwhelmed by the positive response. The lines kept growing, along with requests for more Wing Snob locations.
“Even when COVID came along and we had that “oh-shit-what-now moment, our business grew by 30 percent with people from out of state interested in opening Wing Snobs,” Mashini said. “It was at that point I knew we were onto something really special.”
Seven years after its launch, Wing Snob is a fast-growing quick-service concept in the crowded chicken space, with 50-plus locations open in nine states and Canada. The Warren, Michigan-based brand that specializes in crispy chicken wings, tenders and big selection of dipping sauces opened 18 restaurants in 2023.
Franchisee interest is high, which Shunia credited partially to the relatively low entry cost, between $330,200 and $599,500, and the company’s average unit volume of $950,487 in 2023.
“Did I think we can grow this fast? To be honest with you, yes, I did,” Shunia said. “I knew we had a winning concept with a great team and strategy. It’s just a matter now of how fast we want to grow this thing, and we’re being very careful about that.”
Shunia noted he understood the potential to franchise a relatively simple concept for store operators to run. After selling a popular delicatessen in the Detroit area, he told himself that if ever got back into the restaurant business, he was going to concentrate exclusively on wings and fries.
Shunia and Mashini remain realistic about their chances to one day compete with the brands that dominated the chicken wing space, like Wingstop or Buffalo Wild Wings. “Guys like Wingstop have been around for 30 years and they have more than 2,000 stores. I thought, why can’t we become the Burger King to their McDonald’s?” Shunia said.
Wing Snob co-founders Jack Mashini, left, and Brian Shunia aim to balance high franchise interest with careful growth.
The co-founders met by chance during a real estate transaction in 2015 and became fast friends and roommates. They began franchising Wing Snob in 2018, and take advantage of each other’s talents and experiences in running their franchise.
Shunia handles front-of-house operations, construction and sourcing for new kitchen equipment. Mashini focuses on technology, real estate and coordination with attorneys. They both collaborate on menu changes and new marketing strategies while dividing and conquering on building and nurturing franchisee relationships.
They affectionately call their business partnership a “work marriage.”
“We made a deal in the beginning that everything’s going to be done by vote and if we both vote on something, great. If not, we hear each other out and agree to disagree before coming to the best rational decision,” said Shunia.
They believe a big reason for Wing Snob’s early success is sticking with a simple menu that’s easy to manage while staying committed to the carry-out model with relatively small restaurants. The typical size is 1,200 to 2,200 square feet.
They are also not scared to tweak things depending on the needs of a particular market. In Michigan where the majority of their stores are located, Wing Snob is primarily a carry-out business. In Texas, where it’s are more of a destination business, they have larger restaurants with indoor seating.
Wing Snob’s owners also credit their early success to investing the time and resources to build and successfully implement a new back-end technology platform that provides live updates on pricing and comprehensive training for their 1,000-plus store employees.
While Mashini and Shunia are having a blast watching Wing Snob’s fast growth, they said one of their biggest challenges is handling the onslaught of inquiries from private equity firms.
“It’s definitely our baby now and we love what we do. We are building a legacy for possibly our children to take over one day,” Shunia said. “We really don’t have any interest in giving up control of Wing Snob at this time.”