Started as a food truck by fraternity brothers at University of Louisiana Lafayette, KOK Wings & Things is preparing to open its fourth brick-and-mortar location at 3221 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy. in Lafayette. Chief marketing officer and co-founder Tre’Jan Vinson recently told What Now New Orleans that popular, house-made sauces helped his wing spot to stand up to strong competition from much bigger brands.
“With Buffalo Wild Wings, Wingstop, and Popeyes, we have a different flavor profile than they do,” he said. “So, you can identify our product separate from those other products, and I think that’s really where we stand out in the market.”
In addition to existing locations in New Iberia, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette, KOK Wings & Things also has several mobile food trucks that operate in the region. The new location will be in a former Hooters that will be converted into a fast-casual restaurant with counter service. Vinson said the company had tried sit-down concepts at previous locations, but COVID forced people into different dining patterns, and one location switched to a fast-casual model.
“There was already an uptick in fast casual before COVID-19 happened, but once it did happen, everything was to-go orders and online,” he said. “That just kind of stuck with us since COVID, and it really hurt the previous dining model at our location.”
Vinson added that the company plans to continue expanding after the new Lafayette location opens this fall.
“We want to expand in the Louisiana and Texas markets,” he said. “We’re not opposed to any other markets, but this is where our current client base is located, specifically kids who went to UL, LSU, and Southern. They grew up and moved to Houston, Dallas, Lake Charles, Shreveport, and New Orleans.”
“Hopefully, we get to New Orleans, Lake Charles, and Shreveport soon,” he mused. “We are looking for investors.”
