Empty Seats, Full Heart: East Coast Wings + Grill Grateful for Community Connections

Family Dining Franchise Focuses on Positives "Outside Our 4 Walls"

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Apr 27, 2020, 11:06 ET

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., April 27, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- For East Coast Wings + Grill, a full-service family-dining franchise that spotlights buffalo wings, the COVID-19 pandemic is serving as a huge reminder of the importance of community connection. While the typical buzz inside the restaurants may be on hold to help flatten the curve, ECW+G locations have been active in a constant mode of giving and receiving with their respective communities.

After enhancing safety and sanitation standards and pivoting to a curbside take-out and delivery model, ECW+G has been delivering meals to hospitals workers, fire fighters, animal hospitals and other essential workers. The brand implemented a 20% discount plus free delivery for hospital workers and first responders for call-in orders and began promoting #ServiceIndustryWeekend for anyone in the restaurant or hotel industry to bring in their paycheck stub to receive 20% off their order.

"My heart is full," said Sam Ballas, CEO of the 36-unit restaurant franchise. "Everyone has pulled together, from our franchisees to their staff and the community to support one another. "We've seen the care and support reciprocated. Members of the community are continuing to not only patronize us, but by sharing photos on social media showing how our wings and family-pack meals are becoming a part of their quarantine life."

Ballas wants to thank his corporate team, franchisees and their teams, frontline workers and patrons throughout North Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Philadelphia and Tennessee where ECW+ G locations remain open and operating via curbside, carryout or delivery.

"Community has and always will be in our DNA," Ballas noted. "Through years of sponsoring local sports teams, partnering with schools, hosting fundraisers, donating to local food banks across the southeast and so much more – the ties our franchisees have built with their communities is absolutely what's propping them up throughout this crisis. This is a challenging time for everyone, but what's pulling us all through is the resiliency of our teams and the rallying together of the community."

About East Coast Wings + Grill
East Coast Wings + Grill is a full-service, family-dining franchise that spotlights buffalo wings. The thoughtfully-crafted menu also offers a variety of other options to satisfy every family member's taste buds. With more than 60-nationwide locations currently operating or in various stages of development, the franchise recently secured a top spot on Restaurant Business Magazine's "Future 50" list of fastest-growing, U.S. mid-sized restaurant chains for the second-consecutive year. Entrepreneur magazine also named East Coast Wings + Grill one of the nation's top franchise investments, and Franchise Times magazine ranked the company No. 383 on its "Top 200+" list of top revenue-producing U.S. franchises. The concept has also been recognized by The Franchise Grade and Franchise Business Review for transparency during the franchise sales process, franchisee support and overall franchisee satisfaction. For more information about East Coast Wings + Grill or its franchise opportunities, visit www.eastcoastwings.com or www.eastcoastwingsfranchise.com.

SOURCE East Coast Wings + Grill