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Case Study
Wing Kingz takes the south-east by storm with its newest restaurant
The fine folks of Canterbury are in for a real treat in early 2024 as our newest franchisees bring some of that Wing Kingz magic to their beautiful Kent town.
Wing Kingz is a brand designed to be noticed, and it sure caught the attention of our new partners from Kent who are currently outfitting their new Wing Kingz restaurant right in the heart of Canterbury.
Just like the original Wing Kingz which caused such a stir in Milton Keynes when it opened in 2021, the newest restaurant will be operated by not just one, but a whole team of talented business people, Laurence, Harjeveen, Josh and Priya, who brings her expert accounting skills to the team. While they have a lot on their plates outfitting their premises and learning the ropes from the head office team, we recently caught up with Harjeveen to learn all about their journey so far.
“We all got together about two years ago and decided we wanted to open a business together.“ Harjeveen told us. “My brother and I have been buying and doing up houses for years, but it became more and more difficult to buy properties after the pandemic, so we decided it was time for a change. We were looking at so many different options for a new business but, really, opening our own restaurant was something we always wanted to do.”
The restaurant industry in the UK is one of the most lucrative sectors in the market, worth many billions of pounds annually, but it’s a busy marketplace. With so many restaurants in our towns and cities, it takes something really special to stand out from the crowd. Something that’s never been done before in the UK. For the Canterbury team, they found exactly that when they discovered Wing Kingz.
“We looked at a lot of different franchises, including several big name brands, but they just weren’t making us feel excited. When we found Wing Kingz online, it really got our interest. I filled in my details, and the very next day their consultant, Michael, texted me and invited me for a chat.”
We fully appreciate just what a huge decision it is to invest in a franchise, and we also want to make sure we are attracting just the right kind of people to our brand, which is why we use an independent consultant to be our first point of contact. We’ve worked very closely with Michael Hulmes from The Franchising Centre and Harjeveen was clear that his in-depth knowledge of our brand values and vision played a big role is helping him and his friends understand the Wing Kingz opportunity.
“Michael was a huge help in answering all of our questions. He’s a really top guy, a family man just like me, and so easy to deal with. He encouraged us to set up a visit to Wing Kingz in Milton Keynes, and that proved to be the big turning point. We met the founders, Aaron, Parm and Harminder, and felt like we really hit it off straightaway. I have travelled a lot in the US and Canada, and have always been impressed by their sports bars and restaurants and how they can combine great food with every kind of sporting event you can think of. We just don’t have anything like that over here.
“How the Wing Kingz team presented their concept of a sports bar restaurant with a focus on great food reminded me of those restaurants I had visited, but in a way I knew would really appeal to customers in the UK. It was something really different and exciting, and we were all really impressed. To be honest, as soon as I walked into the restaurant, I was blown away. I knew it was going to absolutely smash it in Canterbury.”
Even though we’re going to be supporting them every step of the way, the new restaurant is going to take up all the new team’s time and energy up until their launch in early 2024. After all, we never do things by halves here at Wing Kingz, and we expect the same from our partners! However, Harjeveen and his friends have big plans for the future, too.
“This was never going to be a one-off. Once we’ve got this place up and running, we want a second location to be coming within 12-18 months. No-one else is doing what Wing Kingz is doing, so we want to expand this concept right across Kent and elsewhere in the south-east. Everything we can now do appeals to such a wide customer base – families, young people, students, you name it – so we are confident this is going to be huge hit wherever we take it. The Wing Kingz team have welcomed us with open arms. Really, it’s been a match made in heaven!”
Our very own Aaron, one of the brand’s original founders, shares Harjeveen’s optimism:
“We feel like Canterbury and Kent is such a great area and full of people from various different backgrounds that love our type of food and love sport. At Wing Kingz, you can do both! Wing Kingz is more than just a brand, it’s an experience. It brings something different that hasn’t been done, let alone in Milton Keynes or Canterbury, but in the UK. It’s something that Canterbury needs.”