Old Dad’s Wings Opening a Brick and Mortar in Dawsonville
Launching in July, Old Dad's Wings is finding a permanent home.
The brand founded as a wing sauce in 2003 and that has thrived in several different iterations is opening a brick and mortar restaurant in Dawsonville, partner in the business Brian Aragona shared with Business Debut.
The plans for the new location include an extensive remodel of the former Big D’s BBQ on the corner of 400 and 53 at: 6566 Hwy 53, Dawsonville, GA 30534.
Aragona reported that the remodel includes completely redoing the kitchen, cleaning up the property, and adding more seating inside.
They will be offering a fast casual format with 40 seats inside. The lunch and dinner portion of the menu will be straightforward—Old Dad’s classic wings, fries, boneless wings, Philly cheesesteaks, chicken sandwiches, and salads.
Aragona, who also serves as a restaurant consultant, outlined a focus on a smaller menu that they can execute with excellence.
Breakfast will also be an emphasis in the restaurant, as Big D’s BBQ was known for their biscuits. Aragona shared that they have been able to find and hire several of the former employees from Big D’s, including the previous biscuit maker who served Big D’s for 10 years. So expect delicious biscuits, chicken and waffles, some healthier breakfast options, and a kids menu.
There will be counter service, along with an expedited takeout window, where customers can order on a streamlined kiosk. This will be an optional feature, as anyone is welcome to order at the counter from an employee if they prefer.
Plans also include adding a full bar in the future, but this will not be immediately available when they open.
They are looking to a July 1st opening. A grand opening celebration is planned for July 11, with a stage, light show, bounce houses, and an all-day event.
The brand began with Rick Palmer when he started selling Old Dad’s Wing Sauce in 2003. Shortly thereafter, Palmer opened a restaurant. The restaurant, Aragona shared, was far too busy to be sustainable and was much higher volume than Palmer was prepared to take on, so he switched the business to a more manageable format—a food trailer nicknamed the Wing Wagon.
The business continued in this capacity until 2019, when Rick retired. Due to the pandemic, Rick’s son, Blake Palmer, a professional golfer, returned home during the shutdown. Aragona shared that a local golf course asked Blake to bring Old Dad’s to their club kitchen—an offer that Blake accepted.
Aragona reported going to get some wings after a round of golf and found the restaurant slammed with customers. The room was elbow to elbow, Aragona said, and he was blown away. He hung around until the crowd subsided to talk to Blake.
Initially, the two formed a consultancy agreement, but weeks later, Brian and Blake were working so well together that they made a partnership to grow the Old Dad’s Wings brand.
From there, they cleaned up the food truck and began attending city events and popping up at breweries and other community hubs. Eventually, they decided to add another truck, and have now begun expanding into brick and mortar.
The brand intends to begin franchising as well.
Aragona has a long background in restaurants. He dropped out of school in the 7th grade, was managing a $4 million-a-year corporate restaurant by age 17, and from there moved into a role as an opening director. He has been consulting restaurants ever since. He’s developed what he termed the Aragona Method of managing inventory, food prep, hiring, and more.
With his expertise and the Palmers’ community-centric brand, they plan to bring a great new addition to the area. The Old Dad’s Wings brand aims to be a community- and customer-first business that supports Dawsonville locals.
Follow Old Dad’s Wings online for updates.
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