Philadelphians will soon be able to get wings cooked every which way when the first two Pennsylvania Hoot Wings locations open up this winter. The Philadelphia-based ANZ Hospitality recently penned a deal with HOA Brands to open 16 Hoot Wings locations in the Philadelphia and King of Prussia markets by the end of 2026.
Their first two locations are planned to open by the end of 2021.
ANZ Hospitality has been operating for over 20 years and owns various hotel and restaurant franchise locations across several states, including California Tortilla, Edible, Marriot, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
“It was just a great fit in our portfolio. We were always looking for a wing concept,” ANZ Hospitality Co-founder and CEO Chirag Patel told What Now Philadelphia. “We explored a lot, and this is a great fit.”
Patel runs ANZ Hospitality with his wife Nilita Patel, who is the company’s CFO. They plan to buy existing restaurant spaces and renovate them to fit the Hoot Wing brand to quicken the lease-signing and grand opening time frame. Patel says he is currently waiting on lease approval for the first two locations.
“This deal with hoots wings aligns with ANZ’s goals for progression while bringing our success with employee relations and career growth to the Philadelphia community – we’re excited to help accelerate hoots’ expansion efforts in the state of Pennsylvania,” Patel said in a press release.
HOA Brands, which is Hooters’ parent company, plans to bring a total of 50 of the quick-service wing restaurants to Pennsylvania’s key markets over the next five years. It’s part of their nationwide expansion into markets like Texas and the East Coast, which will include over 85 locations. There are currently about seven Hoot Wings locations in Illinois, Georgia, and Florida, with 17 more to open by the end of this year.
“We want to bring hoots wings’ unique wing concept to our fans in Pennsylvania, but we also want to bring jobs to the community as well. ANZ Hospitality specializes in providing employment and support in the communities they serve – with this deal alone they’ll bring between 200-300 jobs to the area—and we’re excited to see their vision and success in the industry enacted through Hoots Wings in Philadelphia,” said CEO of HOA Brands Sal Melilli.
Hoot Wings, or Hoots for short, was born out of the popularity of the world-famous chicken wings at Hooters. Hoots is a family-friendly casual dining option serving breaded, plain, smoked, roasted, or boneless wings in a variety of sauces. Their menu also includes sandwiches, seafood, salad, and side dish options.
“The wing category is really dynamic, and it’s growing fast,” Chief Development Officer of Hoots Franchising Mark Whittle said.
Whittle says that wings have quickly become the second most popular category for takeout delivery behind pizza.
“When we were launching this brand, we knew we wanted to be wing-centric, and we wanted to be the best in the wing category, and we think we are.”
