A popular chicken wing restaurant has come to roost in Orillia for its first establishment in Ontario.
Wing’n It has opened at 195 Memorial Ave., the former home of The Donut Line. The franchise’s roots are in Newfoundland and Labrador and it has 35 locations across Canada.
Orillia franchisee Jobanbir Sandhu and his partner, Gurinder Singh, say Orillia is the perfect spot for the new restaurant.
“The town is growing day by day,” Sandhu said, adding 15 more Wing’n It franchises are coming to Ontario. “We see that there are lots of people moving up here and there is a lot of growth. This is a good spot.”
The restaurant specializes in chicken wings, burgers, wraps and more.
“It’s kind of a fast-food restaurant, but we have a full menu,” he said. “It’s like going to a big restaurant that way.”
Sandhu, 25, says he has received only positive reviews from the Orillia community since opening April 18.
“People love the food,” he said. “People like the different items we have and the five different options we have for burgers.”
The wings and the Caesar wrap have been the restaurant’s bread and butter so far.
“Everyone says we have the best wings and Caesar wrap,” he said. “Price-wise and quality, we are the best.”
The Georgian College graduates say the restaurant is a vision they have had for many years, and they felt this was a good time to “go for it.”
“This is an opportunity for us, and we don’t want to miss (out) on it,” Sandhu said. “We both worked in the restaurant industry for four or five years. We were looking for something we could do ourselves.”
The old Donut Line shop — most recently home to Perry’s Fish ’n’ Chips — was in desperate need of renovations when Sandhu and his partner took over, but the prime location made the complete overhaul of the building worth it.
“We had to demolish everything and build it up from the ground all new,” he said.
The renovations give the restaurant a new, modern and clean look, which has wowed customers who had frequently visited other businesses that called the building home.
Trying the food at Wing’n It can also be done from home as it is on SkipTheDishes.
The new business is employing six to eight people, and the hope is to hire at least one more kitchen staff member. Sandhu encourages candidates to drop off their resumes at the restaurant.
Find out more on the Wing'n It website.
