Ray Abdallah isn’t worried about the competition between chicken wing restaurants.
Abdallah, the franchise owner of Commerce Township’s first chicken wing restaurant, Wing Snob, said the area is big enough for multiple chicken wing spots, referring to a Wingstop that opened up a mile down the road from his store.
“I don’t think it’s going to take anything away from me or take anything away from them, the community is too big,” said Abdallah, who is in his first year of franchising this location. “They need more places to open and more businesses in here from so many different directions.”
With over 43,000 residents, Commerce Township continues to add new businesses in the area. Wing Snob is one of those businesses, and Abdallah said he believes that their family environment and good deals are the reason customers choose to eat there.
Zaher Shakarna, 19, a native of West Bloomfield, said that he’s always been a fan of chicken wings. Shakarna, who was sitting down at a table and enjoying his buffalo wings on June 13, said he believes that the quality of chicken at both restaurants is very similar, but he thinks that the good deals and customizable fries set Wing Snob apart.
“They are kind of unique and have a lot of flavors,” said Shakarna. “On Tuesdays I believe they have a dollar a wing or something, so their prices are good too”
The deal Shakarna is referring to is Wing Snobs’ Monday and Tuesday specials, where on Monday customers get 70 cents boneless wings, and 70 cents traditional wings on Tuesday. Abdallah said he does deals like this for the benefit of his customers, as catering to the needs of the community is one of his main goals as a business owner.
“We try to provide what the community wants,” said Abdallah. “We try to reach all ages, poor, rich, or anybody that can spend money.”
Corey Bommarito, who is a native of Commerce Township, has been tempted to try Wingstop, and admits he eventually will, but for now Bommarito is more than content with going to Wing Snob on Mondays and Tuesdays.
“I like the wing specials they run on Mondays and Tuesdays, the wings themselves are very good quality wings,” Bommartio said. “The boneless are nice big chunks of white meat, the wings are a good size and juicy. They do a good job.”