The Beginning

It takes a huge leap of faith to quit a job as the general manager of a restaurant making a guaranteed paycheck to open up your own restaurant. Eli Porter did exactly that when he and co-owner Shanice Porter opened their restaurant Wingz University.

The pair started testing the idea out of a home location here in Statesboro on January 12 and offered only delivery from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Things quickly took off after they began the business and the pair realized they needed to find an actual facility to keep up with the demand.

The Product

Their already loyal customers got impatient in the three weeks they were closed while moving into their current location. The fact that they only use organic wings is one of the reasons they think their customers enjoy their wings so much.

“It separates us from our competitors,” Eli Porter said. The pair has many reasons for choosing to use organic wings, specifically because they believe steroids aren’t good for you. The chicken is chewier when it gets bigger and they wouldn’t feel right selling that kind of product to people.

Get To Know Them

When asked about the reception they have received since opening a little over a month ago, they said their point of sales manager said that in his 18 year career he has never seen it. In their first week they made nearly 80 percent back of what the property cost them.

Wingz University offers eleven different flavors for their wings with each having a unique name such as Gold Rush and Sticky Fingers. They are two of the most popular sellers, consisting of a Carolina barbecue flavor and a honey based flavor.

The owner said they have other options in the works in order to offer their customers more options such as Philly Cheesesteaks and desserts. Not only do they have other menu options in the works, the owners are also looking into opening up other locations.

They are planning to open another facility in September and it will be located in Savannah, and eventually want to have locations nationwide. It’s surprising that they even have time to run their own eatery as both of the owners have other jobs and obligations as well.

Eli Porter is a Pastor of his own church, Redeeming Love Church of God the Bible way, and Shanice Porter is a beautician at Destinationz Hair Studio and Spa, which they are also co-owners of. They both put in over 40 hours of work a week and are both under 30-years-old.

While they are already seeing success in the early stages of their foray into the food world, they already have plans to make the customers experience even better. The facility offers an exterior dining area with picnic style tables already but they are planning to ‘revitalize’ the area this summer.

Wingz University is located at 407 Fair Road in Statesboro near El Sombrero and Ivory Tower. You can call them at 912-489-0815 and they also have an active presence on social media so that would be the place to go to look for any updates about the future of the restaurant.