Wing It On! opens second NJ restaurant

Wing It On!, a popular fast casual chicken chain, opened its second restaurant in New Jersey.

Located at 161 Main St., Suite 140 in West Orange, the new restaurant offers the brand’s signature fan-favorite fare, such as fresh wings, boneless tenders, hand-crafted crispy chicken sandwiches, chicken and vegetable dumplings, and customizable seasoned fries.

Local franchisee Jeff Cooper said, “I am so excited to join Wing It On! and expand this exciting brand’s footprint throughout North Jersey, a place that has been lacking standout wing joints.”

Cooper, whose professional background includes working as a business analyst for several companies, said he was looking to take the next step in his career and run his own venture.

“I have always loved chicken wings … I naturally gravitated towards restaurants and chicken concepts. After doing my research, Wing It On! really set themselves apart from the sea of other faces in the category,” he said.

Founded in 2011 by Matt Ensero and Justin Egan, Wing It On! evolved from a local hot spot in Connecticut to an award-winning franchise system with 12 locations across the country. Locally, the chain opened its first spot four years ago at 1600 E. Saint Georges Ave. in Linden.

In January, Wing It On was acquired by Craveworthy, a platform launched by Jimmy John’s former chief executive officer Gregg Majewski to grow fast-casual restaurant brands. As part of the deal, Ensero took on the role of Wing It On! president and Egan became Craveworthy’s vice president of marketing & franchise development.

Over the past year, Wing It On! expanded by 70%, introducing the concept to new markets including Long Island, N.Y.; Orlando, Fla.; and Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, which helped it earn a spot on the annual Inc. 5000 ranking of the country’s fastest growing chains.

The brand’s Medium Buffalo sauce was also named the top-ranked sauce in its category during the 2022 U.S. Chicken Wing Eating Championship at the National Buffalo Wing Festival in the chicken wing capital of the world, Buffalo, N.Y.

Wing It On! West Orange is open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and offers dine-in, takeout, curbside pickup and third-party delivery.

Commenting on Wing It On’s launch in Essex County, Ensero said, “This is a tentpole moment for our brand as we expand our presence in New Jersey with a passionate entrepreneur leading the way like Jeff. I can’t wait to introduce our game changing chicken offerings to more North Jersey communities and show them what real Buffalo-style chicken wings are all about.”

As the brand continues to expand via franchising into key markets, Wing It On! says it seeking single-unit and multi-unit owners with a minimum net worth of $400,000 and meet the minimum liquid assets requirement of $100,000.