Wing Zone Hot Chicken & Wings has become the latest in a long line of fast casual, quick serve and fast food chicken concepts to flock to Colorado Springs.

The first Wing Zone restaurant in the state opened Tuesday at 3670 Austin Bluffs Parkway in the King Soopers-anchored Marketplace at Austin Bluffs shopping center, northwest of Austin Bluffs and Academy Boulevard in the Springs.

Founded in 1993, Wing Zone specializes in made-to-order, hand-breaded boneless wings, tenders and sandwiches, with a variety of sauces and four heat levels — plain, mild, medium and hot, according to a news release. Sides include fries, tater tots, mac and cheese, coleslaw and funnel cake fries — strips of fried dough dusted with powdered sugar, Wing Zone’s local menu shows.

“The focus is on fresh, made-to-order (food), the highest quality we can find,” said Christen Sanders, who will operate Wing Zone along with her husband, Ron. “Wings, all our chicken comes in fresh; it has not been frozen at all.”

The Sanders are familiar with Colorado Springs’ restaurant scene — though from the perspective of a different bird.

They’re the franchisees for three Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop locations in the Springs, which specialize in slow roasted turkey sandwiches.

Capriotti’s, founded in 1976 in Delaware and now headquartered in Las Vegas, bought Wing Zone three years ago, according to restaurant industry publications. Wing Zone now has 60 locations in the United States and internationally and plans to grow to 200 by 2025, according to a news release.

The Sanders will serve as operating partners of the Wing Zone location in Colorado Springs, though not its owner, said Glynn Chambers, vice president of brand expansion for Capriotti’s and Wing Zone. A local group will serve as the franchisee for Wing Zone, which is the only location planned for now in the Springs, she said.

Capriotti’s and Wing Zone management approached the Sanders to operate Wing Zone because of their success with the sandwich brand in Colorado Springs, Chambers said.

The Sanders opened their first Capriotti’s in late 2021 at the Creekwalk shopping center on the city’s south side. They added locations at the northeast side Barnes Marketplace in 2023 and at InterQuest Marketplace in northern Colorado Springs this year.

“They’re great operators,” Chambers said. “They run fantastic locations. Anybody who’s been in their stores knows that. They’re friendly, they serve great food. I wish I had more franchisees like them across the country. They’re great.”

Christen Sanders said she and Ron explored the Wing Zone brand after being asked by Capriotti’s to operate the Colorado Springs location.

“We think this product is the best we’ve had since we’ve been in the Springs,” she said. “When we were approached, we told them it would depend on what our opinion of the product was. We went out to Las Vegas to check out a store and see what they were all about and we just immediately fell in love with it.”

Wing Zone will offer dine-in seating for about 25 people and carryout service, Christen Sanders said. Delivery will be available via third-party vendors, she said.

Wing Zone will have plenty of rivals in Colorado Springs among local, regional and national chicken concepts, a few of which also have arrived in the market the past few years. Among them: KFC, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers, Slim Chickens, Birdcall, Dave’s Hot Chicken Wings, Chick-fil-A, Chicken Salad Chick, Popeye’s, Daddy’s Chicken Shack, 92 Chicken, Angry Chicken, Wingstop and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Despite the competition, Christen Sanders said she and Ron are confident in the Wing Zone concept; they also can devote time to the brand, in part, because they have quality managers to handle their Capriotti’s locations, she said.

“We weren’t looking to open a chicken place,” Christen said. “We were asked to do what we do and make it successful. That’s the unknown; will Colorado Springs support another chicken place? I think the product is perfect … It has options for everybody. It has kids’ meals. It has catering. It tastes so good.”