When Tragedy Struck a Winger’s Franchisee, the Founders Didn’t Hesitate to Provide Personal and Professional Support
A franchisor has many roles. Consoler isn’t usually one of them.
But on an autumn day in 2010, brothers Eric and Scott Slaymaker, Wingers Restaurant & Alehouse founders, made the three-hour drive from Salt Lake City to Richfield, Utah, to attend the funeral of franchisee John Peterson.
John and Jan Peterson had built and opened their Wingers restaurant that same year. The day before Thanksgiving, Jan recalls her husband saying he was worried about the icy weather. He wanted to treat the restaurant parking lot before opening to prevent guests from slipping.
“So that’s what he was doing,” Jan says. “He slipped and fell and hit his head and that’s all it took. He’d been gone maybe 45 minutes when I got the call.”
Steadfast Support
“The Slaymakers were with me from the minute it happened, practically. They were on the phone with me, at the funeral, at the restaurant, offering any kind of support,” she says. “They weren’t pressuring me to make any decisions, which was really good for me because I needed time to think.”
But there were distractions. After her husband’s death, several men approached her. “They said, ‘You shouldn’t have to worry about the restaurant. I’ll take it over for you and make sure you get some money every month,’” she says. “I think they just thought I was female, and they could just come in and take it over. And I knew they didn’t know anything about restaurants. They would’ve just run it into the ground and left.
“My back just kind of bristled, and I thought, ‘There’s no way you’re going to do this to me.’ It was a challenge for me to show that I could do it,” she says. “I could’ve easily sat home and cried day after day and felt sorry for myself, but I got up and went to work and did what I had to do and kept the restaurant going, and I was surrounded by wonderful people: my employees, my son and daughter, and the Slaymakers, who were always checking on me. The Slaymakers have been there for me.”
‘A Relationship Business’
Eric and Scott Slaymaker had been franchisees with large restaurant brands before opening their first Wingers restaurant in 1993 in Bountiful, Utah. The Wingers Alehouse franchise now boasts 25 locations in the Mountain West with others in development in Texas and Oklahoma. Renowned for its fresh-made chicken wings and Sticky Fingers coated in the Wingers Original Amazing Sauce, Wingers Alehouse offers an extensive menu and beer on tap in a family-friendly, sports bar-like environment.
“Eighty percent of our business at Wingers Alehouse is built around experiential dining, and, in addition to serving great food and drinks, we focus on making sure our guests are really enjoying their time while at our establishments,” Eric Slaymaker says.
Scott Slaymaker agrees: “We are very much in a relationship business. Our mission statement is very simple: ‘Creating amazing experiences.’ And that goes for guests as well as team members, franchisees and vendors.”
A Match Made in the Restaurant Business
Jan and John Peterson met while working for a different restaurant brand. He was a manager, and she was a server and trainer. They fell in love, married and began leasing and operating their own restaurants. “When we heard about Wingers, we thought maybe it would be a fun thing to bring to Richfield,” Jan says.
The couple built their restaurant on property nestled between two hotels just off Interstate 70 – an ideal location, particularly for the Wingers Alehouse brand, which has focused on small and medium-sized markets as its bread and butter.
People in tiny Richfield, in south-central Utah, were excited about the new restaurant, Jan says. Employees also loved working at Wingers and developed a sense of pride and ownership. “They had worked in other restaurants, and this is a fun place to work,” Jan says. “They wanted it to succeed.”
The Peterson family also pitched in. Jan’s son, a lawyer, handles accounting, her daughter, a teacher, has filled in at the restaurant when school was out, and a granddaughter works there when she’s home from college. “Three generations! It’s been a real family business,” Jan says.
John Peterson would’ve been proud, she says. “I think he would be somewhat surprised, but I think he would be very happy with how I’ve been able to keep it going and keep people employed and build a business, which is what your goal is when you’re in business.” For more information, please visit https://wingerbros.com/franchising-opportunities/.
