Wild Wing Cafe Reinstates Live Music at Corporate Restaurants
Established in 1990 as a small beach restaurant in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Wild Wing Cafe is now owned by private equity firm Axum Capital Partners and has 44 locations across nine states, mostly in the South and East. Established in 1990 as a small beach restaurant on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Wild Wing Cafe
Wild Wing Cafe has reinstated live music at all 18 corporate restaurants while implementing COVID-19 safety precautions, such as limiting the number of performers and making sure musicians and customers wear masks unless singing, eating or drinking. A few of the brand’s 26 franchise locations have also reinstated live music, depending on state regulations.
“Bringing back music, we wanted to keep musicians and customers safe, so we started small,” said Jennifer Siebenaler, Wild Wing Cafe’s director of entertainment. “We’ve been known for big bands, so it was taking a look at, how can we still throw a safe party with an acoustic person, someone just on guitar.”
For Siebenaler, finding a way to continue featuring local artists in a live music format was crucial when COVID-19 hit—so she helped establish Friday Night Live in April 2020, where every Friday, a local band or singer performs on Wild Wing Cafe’s official Facebook via livestream. Siebenaler herself performed on the platform, making sure to send artists food or a gift card to help support their families, because the musicians on Friday Night Lights were playing for free other than Venmo tips from audience members.
When restrictions lifted and they could have dine-in and live music again, Friday Night Live turned into Friday Night Lights at the restaurants—but if customers aren’t comfortable with dine-in yet, they can still catch the former on Wild Wing Cafe’s YouTube channel, which Siebenaler hosts.
Seedeater is also helping open a new Wild Wing Cafe location near the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, complete with an indoor stage and outdoor stage and slated to open with a weekend of festivities and music on February 25.
“I live in the area and there’s nothing else like it. It will make an awesome concert venue, and we’ll have a large area for cornhole tournaments outside,” Siebenaler said. “Musically it’s going to be my baby. I’m planning on doing Monday nights with Jen, an open mic with featured artists I’ll bring in and introduce, plus I’ll be podcasting from there, making it an event venue and pushing live music.”
Wild Wing Cafe opened two locations during COVID-19 and plans to open another four restaurants this year. The initial franchise fee for a Wild Wing Cafe is $50,000.