By Alexxia Littleton
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Wild Wing Cafe will re-open its doors under new management, bringing a fresh perspective and endless finger foods to Opelika. Music, food and fun are all in store as this restaurant makes its way back into the hearts of the community. Wild Wing Cafe was previously under different management, before it closed down. Jeroskie Finch and Karanja Story are working hard to rebrand and remain involved in the community.
Finch and Story said Wild Wing Cafe is a great spot to eat with family and enjoy live entertainment on the weekends.
“It means a lot, everybody’s excited,” Finch said. “A lot of the new employees are former employees — they were here before. Wild Wing is like a family. All those people, they said they loved working with each other. The management team is super excited. We’re super excited, it’s a big deal and we can’t wait to get it open.”
Finch and Story said they are really trying to hire people who have the same passion and vision for Wild Wing Cafe. Many [of the employees] have volunteered their help in terms of opening, so they feel it is very meaningful for their team as well.
Story and Finch said they will share ownership of the Wild Wing Cafe. Finch currently works as the finance manager, so he said he plans to focus more on the finance portion of things, while Story said she plans to focus on the operational part.
The new owners said they recently joined the Chamber of Commerce in Opelika. They said they are hoping the involvement with the Chamber of Commerce will give them the insight they need to know what’s going on in the community.
Finch and Story said they are continuing to engage with the community through social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Local radio stations have signed agreements and contracts with them as well. They said they have a marketing team from corporate coming to Opelika to assist their engagement within the community.
Finch and Story said they have already reached out to nearby high schools and coaches to come and represent the restaurant as well. They have spaces that they plan to use to host meetings and different events like birthdays and celebrations. They also plan to include a kids eat free night to try and bring in more families and people from the local community.
The original grand opening date was delayed due to some last minute adjustments.The ribbon cutting is now projected to be held sometime within this month so the team can properly introduce themselves.
They said they are happy to bring Wild Wing back and they want to focus on getting people back in.
Showing the community that it’s going to be a different experience and it’s going to be one they’re going to enjoy, is something they are continuing to work towards. Seeing the smiles on people’s faces and a couple of the regulars coming back in and having a good time, are just a few more things they’re excited about for this opening.
“I want to tell everybody to be patient, we’re gonna shoot for a smooth grand opening,” said Finch. “But things may happen, so be patient. We’re going to work out all the kinks as we go and we’re going to make sure we give everybody a great experience.”
They said they plan to build the restaurant back up, along with the Wild Wing name and reputation. Story and Finch said that they’ve been working to open for about four months now. In terms of training and preparing for the grand opening, they sent the team to South Carolina to get hands on experience and corporate training.
A general manager took a trip up there with a couple of the workers as well. Finch and Story said it was “much needed” for them to keep their restaurant up to corporate standards as they work toward opening.
Sticking with the corporate theme, Story said they are planning to serve wings, burgers, and have decided to add pizza to the menu as well. They said they want to include things for everyone so they feel welcome, whether it’s kids or families.
“We’re stressing that it’s a family oriented restaurant. So, you know, you have things for the kids as well,” said Story. “You have your chicken fingers and you have your different dishes and stuff like this well.”
Story said they are constantly implementing new things to keep all customers — not just children — coming in and enjoying their experience at Wild Wing.
“But then also, for the happy hour crew, they will have happy hour drinks,” Story said. “One of the things we’re doing now is, we’re flushing the lines and stuff and making sure that the draft is as cold as we can get it.”
Story and Finch have said they plan to give each and every customer the best experience possible. By including different aspects into their new business model, they said they plan to keep customers highly satisfied. The plans includes live entertainment such as local bands and karaoke for guests.
Story and Finch said they are working to build a “community based place” for people to come and have a relaxed atmosphere where they can enjoy their experience at Wild Wing.
Wild Wing Cafe is coming back and they said they are here to stay. Under different expectations and standards, Story and Finch said they plan to put the community first in every aspect of their business.
“[We’re] really looking at some models that are working and thriving and just trying to pull some of those principles,” Story said. “Hey, why reinvent the wheel? You know something they’re doing at Chick-fil-A, something Starbucks is doing, something these successful companies are doing that’s been around a while. Let’s see what they’re doing and let’s model that.”
Story and Finch said they will continue to hire the best people, put customer service first and listen to the community. They said they want the best for everyone that plans to attend the restaurant and they plan to stay involved and engage with what the community is asking for.
They said family, fun and good food awaits in Opelika as they strive to put their best foot forward while serving the community.
