BOB BAUMHOWER'S CAREER
as a Restaurateur
1981 marked the beginning of Wings. The first unit opened in Tuscaloosa,
AL. Bob Baumhower, an All-American from the University of Alabama
and 6 time All-Pro for the Miami Dolphins, decided to treat his
Alma Mater to Wings. The concept, which started out as a counter
service restaurant – grew over the next seven years to a
4-unit chain of full service restaurants. From its inception Wings
has been synonymous with quality food. The original Wings restaurants
were conversions of closed restaurants, ranging from 2,000 – 3,500 square feet.
1992 marked a major evolutionary phase in wings’ history,
as we opened the first prototype restaurant in an end cap of the
Wildwood shopping center in Birmingham, AL. This restaurant was
6,000 sq. feet, featuring an athletic décor and 17 televisions.
The plan for this restaurant was to build sales to around $2 million
annually. The doors were blown off as first years’ sales were $2,500,000.
Over the next 5 years, we closed the original 4 Wings outlets
and built 5 of the prototype restaurants. With average sales exceeding
$2,700,000 the concept has gained critical acclaim as one of the best casual restaurants in Alabama.
Because Wings always wants our food to be the best it can be, we have created one of the most organized and technologically advanced
kitchens in the industry. Careful ordering, receiving, handling
and preparation procedures ensure the freshest – highest quality food for our guest.
To ensure the highest quality environment and daily operations,
Wings has installed systems and control forms to make the operation
of a Wings, as simple and consistent as possible. We ensure that
all employees of Wings receive thorough training, feedback and regular (2 times a year – formal) evaluations.
We simply want for Wings to be the best casual restaurant in the country.