The end of this week will mark the start of a new chapter for a local franchisee of WingStand who will make his debut in Olathe.
After working for various restaurants around the Kansas City metro, Joe Finch joined the WingStand team — a wing-focused spinoff concept of popular Lawrence-based eatery Jefferson’s — at its flagship location in Mission in 2021.
Finch later went on to work at WingStand’s Kansas City, Missouri, location off State Line Road (which has since closed).
So by now, getting into the swing of things at WingStand’s new Olathe restaurant will be pretty familiar for Finch, but this time, there’s one key difference: The Olathe location is his.
As the brand’s first franchisee, Finch will officially open WingStand’s new franchise on Saturday. On opening day, customers at the Olathe location who download and order through the WingStand app get an order of free wings.
WingStand is opening at 119 S. Mur-Len Road
- The restaurant has moved into a space at the Crossroads Shopping Center, just off Santa Fe Street and Mur-Len Road.
- The space was previously occupied by Caribbean restaurant Fire Jerk Grill, which closed earlier this year.
- Once it opens, WingStand’s regular hours will be 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
WingStand serves “fresh, never frozen” wings
WingStand’s menu features a wide variety of wing flavors, from milder ones like lemon pepper and garlic parmesan to hotter ones like honey sriracha and “angry” ranch.
Those wings come in either traditional bone-in or boneless, and with sides like fries, veggies or honey slaw. WingStand also offers vegetarian wings.
“We have a process that allows (the wings) to cook faster, juicier and healthier, because they’re not in the oil as much,” Finch said. “We do it the hard way, but it’s worth it.”
In addition to wings, the menu also offers items like chicken sandwiches, tenders, burgers, “loaded” mac and cheese, and “fresh-squeezed” lemonades and limeades.
This marks the second WingStand in Johnson County
The original WingStand opened on Johnson Drive in Mission in the fall of 2021.
WingStand also operates a food truck, in addition to its two brick-and-mortar locations.
Finch said expansion had been on the horizon for WingStand for a while, and when the new Olathe space became available, it served as a “Goldilocks” (just right) spot for the brand.
“It already had the buildout, and the way the kitchen is set up is perfect for us,” he said. “It’s close to our Mission location, and also close to Lawrence, where our headquarters is located.”
Coinciding with the opening of the new Olathe location, Finch said he and operating partner Michael Brown hope to team up with other local businesses for fundraising and catering.
Later on, more expansion could be on the horizon for WingStand — both in and outside of Johnson County. The brand also officially opened franchising at the beginning of 2025.
“This is kind of a dream come true for me, because I was always looking for growth,” he said. “There’s growing pains with learning new things, but with the support of the executive team here, I know that we will succeed here.”
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