Wings Etc. Testing Pizza at Cleveland Road Location in South Bend, Indiana

The test includes seven signature pizzas, including one of Wings Etc.’s most popular flavors

FORT WAYNE, Ind.—Wings Etc. Grill & Pub has begun testing pizza as an addition to its expansive menu at the location at 2455 W. Cleveland Road in South Bend, Indiana, a corporate-owned location.

The initial menu includes seven signature pizzas:

  • Signature Pepperoni
  • Mighty Meaty
  • Meat-Veg Supreme
  • Sausage & Pepperoni
  • Chicken Bacon Ranch
  • Buffalo Chicken
  • 4-Cheese

Each 14-inch pizza is baked in a pizza oven until the crust is golden brown and then cut into eight slices. Guests can choose their favorite toppings from a build-your-own selection as well. And the kids menu will include a meal choice of two slices of pepperoni or cheese pizza.

The Buffalo Chicken variety draws inspiration from Wings Etc.’s award-winning jumbo Buffalo-style wings, replacing tomato sauce with the brand’s Mild Sauce, among the most popular of their 22 signature sauces and rubs. The Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza replaces tomato sauce with a zingy ranch sauce. Each pizza is served fresh and hot with top quality ingredients piled high on every slice.

“We’re excited to extend Wings Etc.’s ‘Big Flavor’ focus to another format that carries broad appeal,” said Wings Etc. CEO Rob Hensmann. “Not only does pizza enjoy ongoing demand, but it also travels well, key in a market where consumers continue to crave off-premise dining.

“It’s a pretty tall order, to try to enter into the pizza market, because everybody’s an expert when it comes to pizza. And their expertise is very specific to what they grew up with,” said Hensmann. “So our strategy has been to keep it simple. We’re focusing on providing ‘Big Flavor’ with premium ingredients.”

Pizza is currently on the menu at the Illinois Road location in Fort Wayne and in Marion, Indiana. The test at the Cleveland Road location began August 27, 2024. The Cleveland Road location is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, 11 am. To 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. Friday through Saturday.

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About Wings Etc. Grill & Pub

Wings Etc. is proud to celebrate 30 years of growth and good times this year. Founded in 1994 by Jim Weaver in northern Indiana, Wings Etc. is a family-friendly grill and pub featuring award-winning jumbo Buffalo wings, 22 signature sauces and rubs, dozens of TVs tuned to sports programming and a casual, non-corporate-y, laid-back vibe that makes people want to just come in and hang out. See wingsetc.com.

With 81 corporate and franchise locations, Wings Etc. has been listed among Entrepreneur magazine’s “Top 500 Franchises” every year since 2021 and was included in the magazine’s “Top Five Best Sports Bars” in 2021. It has been named one of Franchise Business Review’s “Top Food Franchises” every year since 2020 and a “Top 200 Franchise” every year since 2019. Wings Etc. has been included in Franchise Gator’s “Top 100 Franchises” seven times since 2014 and its “Fastest Growing Franchises” seven times since 2016; it was among the “Top Emerging Franchises” in 2023. It has been named a “Top 400 Franchise” by Franchise Times every year since 2021 and a “Top 500 Franchise” by Nation’s Restaurant News every year since 2021. See www.wingsetcfranchise.com.

The Wings Etc. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to improving children’s lives. See www.wingsetcfoundation.com. 

©2024 Wings Etc., Inc. Franchises independently owned and operated.

Photos courtesy of Wings Etc. Grill and Pub

Photo 1: Wings Etc. is testing pepperoni pizza and other pizza recipes at the Cleveland Road location in South Bend, Indiana.

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