Wings Etc. presents $50,000 check to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Customer generosity, brand partnership are at the heart of the campaign’s success

FORT WAYNE, Ind.— Wings Etc. was pleased to present St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital with a check for $50,000 at the Wings Etc. Brand Summit held April 15–17 at FireKeepers Casino Hotel in Battle Creek, Mich.

The contribution reflects the generosity of Wings Etc. consumers and the mission of the Wings Etc. Foundation formed in September 2023. Administered by leaders in the Wings Etc. Grill & Pub franchise organization and its affiliated companies, the foundation passionately pursues a simple, vital mission: “Improving children’s lives.”

In seeking a national charitable partner, “the clear choice of our team was St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee,” Eric Stuczynski, Wings Etc. CDO/CPO and president of the Wings Etc. Foundation, said at the brand summit. “St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”

The Wings Etc. Foundation partnership with St. Jude is the next era in the brand’s history of raising funds for community organizations.

“We always went above and beyond to help people in the communities that we played and worked in,” Stuczynski said. “Giving back is one of our values. We have the responsibility to make a difference.

“Over the last 20 years we’ve been involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Toys for Tots and other established charitable organizations, including St. Jude. Our company felt called to go even further and make a difference on more of a national scale.”

The $50,000 contribution reflects Wings Etc. customer donations collected since September 2023 via in-store messaging in entryways, on tabletops and on closed-circuit TV screens, and outbound messaging to Wings Etc. Grill & Pub email list members and social media followers.

Consumers also are able to round up their checks on behalf of St. Jude, and Wings Etc. Inc. and its franchisees also host a number of events and sports tournaments throughout the year that bring in dollars through entry fees and donations by participants.

“The impact that you have on the children and families of the hospital is simply incredible,” Area Executive Director Patrick Schaecher told the owners, franchisees and guests in attendance at the brand summit. “Our ability to provide the lifesaving treatment and research that these families so desperately need is only possible through the generosity of our donors and partners just like you, so thank you all for coming to support St. Jude.

“By choosing to support and partner with St. Jude, you are truly joining a global movement to end childhood cancer,” Schaecher said.

Wings Etc. corporate leaders and franchise owner-operators are looking ahead to the coming year, with plans to amplify the effort and raise even more toward St. Jude’s vital, lifesaving care for children.

“It’s an honor to participate in the work of improving children’s lives,” Stuczynski said. “We’re just getting started.”

Plans include a pin-up campaign in all stores from June 1 to August 1; each customer who makes a donation to St. Jude will have their name pinned to a wall in the restaurant.

In conjunction with Wings Etc.’s sponsorship of Jeremy Clements Racing, fans are invited to the infield of Michigan International Speedway on August 16–17 where, starting around 7 p.m., Wings Etc. leadership will be cooking the brand’s famous award-winning boneless wings. The wings are free; fans can make a donation for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in return. The event continues each evening until the wings are gone.

For more information on the Wings Etc. Foundation, visit www.wingsetcfoundation.com.

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About Wings Etc. Grill & Pub

Wings Etc. is proud to celebrate 30 years of growth and good times this year. Founded in 1994 by Jim Weaver in northern Indiana, Wings Etc. is a family-friendly grill and pub featuring award-winning jumbo Buffalo wings, 21 signature sauces and rubs, dozens of TVs tuned to sports programming and a casual, non-corporate-y, laid-back vibe that makes people want to just come in and hang out. See wingsetc.com.

With 80 corporate and franchise locations, Wings Etc. has been listed among Entrepreneur magazine’s “Top 500 Franchises” every year since 2021 and was included in the magazine’s “Top Five Best Sports Bars” in 2021. It has been named one of Franchise Business Review’s “Top Food Franchises” every year since 2020 and a “Top 200 Franchise” every year since 2019. Wings Etc. has been included in Franchise Gator’s “Top 100 Franchises” seven times since 2014 and its “Fastest Growing Franchises” seven times since 2016; it was among the “Top Emerging Franchises” in 2023. It has been named a “Top 400 Franchise” by Franchise Times every year since 2021 and a “Top 500 Franchise” by Nation’s Restaurant News every year since 2021. See www.wingsetcfranchise.com.

The Wings Etc. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to improving children’s lives. See www.wingsetcfoundation.com. 

©2024 Wings Etc., Inc. Franchises independently owned and operated.