Fowl Cow Burgers Complete My Friday

Sorry East Coast! In the West, the first day of spring, is actually spring, and it’s here to stay. (Knock on wood! We don’t want to get too cocky.)

There’s this overwhelming feeling of life everywhere that’s helping to make this Friday much more exciting. Part of it has to do with March Madness kicking off in a big way. (This may or may not have something to do with the Utah Utes advancing to the next round. March 21 here we come!)  Another part might be the 70° weather. All in all, everything just feels great.

 I’ve got to admit, there is one thing that can take today, and every day, to the next level. Give me one good burger, and my whole day is made.

I know, I know. We all love a good burger, but for me, good burgers have always been an obsession.  I have favorite places depending on whether I’m feeling classic, flavorful, or quirky. Figuring out my perfect burger mood is practically a science!

Luckily, this week, I don’t have to think about it so hard! Winger’s finally debuted their new Fowl Cow Burgers (which might not seem like a “finally” moment to you, but for someone who’s spent the last month and a half staring at pictures, this is the definition of “finally.”) We’re talking about a moist chicken breast, flavor-filled burger, and two types of cheese, all on the same bun. If you want to amp it up, you can get the Porker Burger with bacon or the Barnyard with bacon and a fried egg, never mind the Barn and Garden with bacon, egg, and grilled jalapeno. It might seem like we’re challenging you with these options; because we are. The challenge is real, and it’s even more delicious.

The Barn and Garden Burger in all it's glory. See what I mean by "finally"?

This burger is making my Friday! So much so, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to turn back.

Sticky Finger Party Platter = Super Sunday Brilliance

I’m not a massive football fan. (I know, that’s a weird thing for a wing lover to admit!) I enjoy live games, but I have no team loyalty and no invested interest in the outcome of the game.

That being said, I do love the big game coming up this Sunday. It’s not really about who wins or who loses, and it’s definitely not about the commercials. (Although, the day after Super Sunday, I once had a class where we spent the whole two hours analyzing the commercials. Best. Day. Ever.)

So, if it’s not the actual game or the commercials, what makes me love this Sunday?

I love the food. And I’m not the only one! According to the National Chicken Council, this Sunday is the second biggest eating day of the year. Here’s my theory: four hours of concentrated hang-out time with friends and finger food leads to some of the best eating experiences…every single year. I’ve never been to a Super Sunday party that didn’t have a ton of people talking and yelling and eating all at the same time. One of the things I’ve learned from this yearly party is that a truly great Super Sunday has food to match everyone's energy.

That’s why I’m taking a Winger’s Sticky Finger party platter to my friend’s house this year. We don’t call the sauce Amazing for nothing, and not even a 50 Finger Platter will last the whole game. (There’ll only be 10 of us, but one platter won’t even make it to half time.)

I’m already prepping my appetite for Sunday. Bring on the football! Bring on the commercials! Most of all, bring on the Sticky Fingers!

And don't forget, Winger's does more than Sticky Finger Platters. Check out the variety in the image above. It's an unstoppable party pleaser!

No More Holiday Cookies

My parents have this tradition. Around the holidays, we’d always make cookies and drive around to family, friends, and neighbors to deliver them. I hated it. I was little and bored and tired of being dragged from house to house.

But guess what! Now, I want to do the very same thing! I want to take cookies to all my friends and wish them “Happy Holidays.” I want those 5 minutes at each house to catch up with everyone I care about before I dive back into the world ‘o crazy that is this time of year.

There’s just one small problem…my baking skills are very much lacking. I already did the cookie baking thing this year. I forgot the sugar in one batch. (I still don’t know how I did that!!) I messed up the dough in another. I even ruined a box of brownie mix. (High altitude instructions haunt me.)

It’s time to change my approach. I’ve decided I’m taking Winger’s Original Amazing Sauce to my friends.

First, I don’t have to bake with it. Trust me, I’m much better at making chicken (or ordering it!) than I am with cookies. Plus, there are all sorts of things to put it on! Winger’s uses it on burgers, meatloaf, ribs, and pulled pork. It’s even good to dip your fries into.

Cookies may be tradition, but I’d rather go with something amazing. 

Holiday Giving: The Winger's Edition

I always finish my meals. Strike that, I almost always finish my meals. I will admit that, every now and then, I encounter a meal way too big for just me. When that happens, I try to control my eating urges and take part of that meal home. But the food doesn't always reheat well, and I start to feel guilty. Visions of my grandma float through my head telling me I have to finish everything because there are starving people in the world. It gets messy. What do you do when that's doubled, tripled, or quadrupled?

We here at Winger's donate. That's exactly what we did last night.

We were catering a holiday party in Downtown Salt Lake City, UT when it became apparent we were going to have a ton of food left over. (A ton's probably an exaggeration, but let's go with it.) There was so much food that we fed everyone at the party, the venue staff, and ourselves with plenty to spare.

The Winger's Catering Team at last night's party.

That's when our executives made a couple phone calls to see if anyone could take the food. Enter The Road Home, a Utah organization assisting families and individuals who are homeless. We were thrilled they answered our call at 8:30 PM and even more thrilled to donate the rest of the meal to them. A couple hundred chicken wings should never go to waste.

We'd like to thank The Road Home for accepting our spur-of-the-moment donation. 

Roadtest Approved

We hosted a training in our office last week. The beginning of the training particularly caught my attention.

“How many of you watch Game of Thrones,” said Eric Slaymaker, President of Winger Bros. Management and Winger’s Franchising, Inc.

Granted, just about anything that begins with Game of Thrones (GoT) can grab my attention these days, but I needed to hear where he was going with this!

Basically, it all boils down to this idea of adaption. In GoT, you adapt or you die (or you adapt and die, but let’s not get into any major analysis here). Now, things may not be quite that drastic in the world ‘o Winger’s, but it’s a pretty good lesson, one that we’ve been trying to take to heart for a while.

There’s a big difference between the adaption on GoT and us though. We’re trying to grow and change with purpose, not just because we’re forced to, so we’ve developed this thing we like to call “the Roadtest.”

Whenever we come up with a new idea, we put it to the Roadtest to see how it fits into our particular vision for Winger’s. We ask ourselves, "Does this match what we want to do? Does it help us provide the kind of delectable comfort food and energized atmosphere we strive for?"

For example, you should start seeing new lunch menus popping up in our stores. We've been working on this lunch menu for weeks, from recipe development to menu design and food tastings (my personal favorite).

Here's a picture from one of our  item tastings for the Lunch Menu. It's a delicious way to spend the afternoon.

I can’t wait to see what you think of our take on the American Club or hear what your favorite part of the Peppercorn Turkey Wrap is. I’m excited to see our kitchens stretch their creativity with the Dang Good Daily Sandwich. Whether you're enjoying the Mahi-Mahi Salad or can't get enough of the Endless Sticky Finger Lunch, we're sure you'll agree, it's a good day to be Roadtest approved.

Twinkies for Heros

My dad has a favorite joke whenever we're in public near a family with small kids. Inevitably, the kid will do something silly, the parents will blush, and we'll all laugh. Then, it’s my dad’s cue to say something like, “enjoy it while you can,” or “just wait till you’re not the hero anymore,” and he’ll roll his eyes at me. Seriously, I've seen this particular bit over and over again since I was a teenager.

And the funny story is, he’s never stopped being my hero. He’s always been there to guide, protect, and ask how my car’s running, and for that, I’m grateful. He’s a special man, and he deserves a special Father’s Day.

This may not be the most flattering photo of my dad and I, but it perfectly encapsulates our relationship. 

I know it’s cheesy coming from me, but if he were coming into town, I would take him to Winger’s for Father’s Day. He could get wings, my mom could get salad, and we could all get a craft beer. That’s not even counting the free Fried Twinkies. All day Saturday, June 14 and Sunday, June 15, Winger’s is giving free Fried Twinkies to dads who come in with their families to celebrate.

In case you need any more convincing, drool over this photo of Fried Twinkies for a second.

Now, I have to admit, I’m not really a restaurant dessert person. I usually eat too much and end up feeling full to the point of bursting, but Fried Twinkies are worth saving part of your meal for. They are melt-in-your-mouth decadent with a wonderfully complimentary strawberry topping. They’re perfectly indulgent, which is exactly what a dessert should be.

If I could want anything for my dad this Father’s Day, it would be that he has good food, great beer, and to know that he’s still a hero. The Twinkie tops everything off.

Ode to Sticky Finger Salad

For a place named Winger’s, it makes sense that they like chicken. Don’t get me wrong, they’re also fans of beef and pork and fish. They have a soft spot for vegetarians and vegans too. Chicken just takes them back to their roots. Whether it’s bathed in Original Amazing Sauce or is freshly hand-breaded, they can’t get enough of it.

Apparently, y’all agree. Sticky Fingers and Wings are some of the highest-selling house specialties. Winger's loves these classic meals so much that they keep trying to think of new ways to use them. Hence, the Sticky Finger Salad!

Picture, if you will, delectable Sticky Fingers on a bed of fresh, crisp lettuce surrounded by shredded cheese, tomatoes, and craisins. They like to top it off with our Homemade Ranch for an extra bit of deliciousness. This dish brings together your taste buds and their creativity to form an awesome summer meal.

In fact, summertime is when I find my inner salad person. It’s hot; I want something cool but tasty. Thank goodness I can have my Sticky Fingers on top of it. (Double dipping much?)

That’s why Winger’s has this whole Sticky Finger Salad for $7.99 promotion going around. They noticed summer is when a lot of us tend to turn into salad people, so why not make it easier for us to have our Sticky Fingers and eat them too?

I’m looking forward to a month of this delicious promotion! It runs until June 29th to give everyone a little time to find their inner summer salad.