Earlier this month, growing chicken wing (and more) chain Sugar Wing announced that it has partnered with Bucky Irving, the star Tampa Bay Buccaneers Running Back, as a Strategic Investor and Brand Ambassador.
“As an early fan of Sugar Wing, Bucky is leveraging his platform, energy, and deep community roots to build brand awareness,” says an announcement published earlier this month.
“Sugar Wing is everything I look for in a brand — real food, great team, and real roots in Tampa Bay. I’m proud to represent something that reflects who I am and where I play,” Bucky Irving says in the announcement.
Back in March 2024, What Now reported on Sugar Wing’s planned expansion to the Tampa Bay Market, with two locations in the works, and those plans have come to pass: if you haven’t tried Sugar Wing yet (or, for that matter, if you have), you can check it out in Carrollwood and in Largo.
Now, as the Bucky Irving partnership drives more attention to Sugar Wing, Tampa Bay franchisee Emfire Brands is planning to open another new location in South Tampa, owner Hitesh Savla told What Now on Tuesday. Savla says that brand awareness is the one piece of the puzzle that’s been missing so far.
“The reviews are pretty much unanimous,” Savla said. “The food has been very well received; everything is freshly scratch-made, in-house.”
In the highly competitive chicken market, dominated by big names like Chick-fil-A, brand awareness counts for a lot, especially once you’ve got the rest of what you need in place. So, as Emfire continues to launch more Sugar Wings in Tampa Bay, the brand is sticking to its guns.
“One way we differ is that our menu is a lot more diverse than some places that just serve the same chicken with a few different heat levels. We have sandwiches, chicken strips, wings, desserts like our house-made sugar cookie, milkshakes. There’s something for everybody, with grilled chicken options if you’re feeling a little more health conscious.”
In contrast to some bigger chains, whose chicken is known to contain dozens of ingredients, Savla adds, Sugar Wing chicken is just chicken with a handful of seasonings like salt and cumin powder.
A specific site has not yet been revealed for Emfire Brands’s next Sugar Wing location in South Tampa, but Savla says an opening is expected before the end of 2026.
You can keep up with all things Sugar Wing by following @mysugarwing on Instagram.
