American chicken wing concept to debut in WA

Wingtopia is also seeking franchisees to grow the brand.

A new concept spotlighting the U.S.' Southern wings is looking to disrupt Australia’s competitive chicken scene.

Wingtopia, a joint venture between Darren Faulkner, Veronica Faulkner, Steve Palmer and Tanya Palmer, will open its debut store in Bayswater, WA in the next few weeks.

The concept will sell five different styles and flavours of wings prepared on site that are inspired by different regions across the U.S., chicken sandwiches and two types of po’boys (shrimp & chicken). Breakfast will also be served with a focus on a ‘Nawlins Brekky’, which is a fresh ham and cheese croissant, potato bites and coffee.

Faulkner said they have invested heavily in developing their ordering system in light of the developments caused by the pandemic by tapping Order Point.

“We’ve also watched with interest how much brands spend on getting people to download and then interact with their branded app. However, from our observations, most customers only download apps to facilitate ordering food online, and these apps can be clumsy, cumbersome and very, very confusing,” he said.

“At every corner, we’ve made the ordering process easier for our customers to get Wingtopia delivered, catered or picked-up. You can order through Google search, Facebook, Google Maps, and of course our website. We’ll create offers on Facebook and Instagram which customers will be able to simply ‘click’ on and it will take them straight to the check out. In addition, our QR code is stamped onto every piece of branded packaging and advertising which will eliminate even more barriers by making the ordering process much simpler and streamlined.”

Wingtopia also intends to partner with Menulog, Uber Eats and DoorDash for customers looking to use the platforms.

Faulkner said the brand is currently negotiating five additional sites in Ellenbrook, Butler, Anketell, Wangara and Kalgoorlie. A main obstacle for growth, he added, was finding second generation sites that “are drive-thru and ready to move into.” 

“At this present time, we're concentrating on Western Australia but we have already received keen interest from operators in Queensland and New South Wales and are assessing those parties and their capabilities,” he said.

 “We’re also asking interested and experienced people to submit an expression of interest via our website in becoming Wingtopia partners/franchisees.”