100 Episodes in 2020!

When Doni and I walked into The Southford Lodge on February 4, 2020 we had decided to start a venture at the worst-possible time. We wanted to create an online "chicken wing enthusiast” group two days after the biggest wing day of the year - the Super Bowl - and right at the very beginning of a global pandemic that would end up lasting for the entire year to come.

We created our name, Wingaddicts, and our logo. We got the dot-com and even the name Wingaddicts Community on Facebook and we started inviting our friends to like it. Becoming middle-aged YouTubers was the furthest thing from our minds.

Looking back today, three days before Christmas and one day since recording our one hundredth Wingaddicts episode on YouTube this venture has turned out to be a whole bunch of little blessings in disguise.

For starters, we’ve established ourselves as THE obvious expert on chicken wings in the state of Connecticut. It’s safe to say that nobody has come close to eating in as many spots as we have (and we’re not planning on slowing down). Oh, well over 4,000 wings and counting! 

Second, we’ve made so many new friends at these amazing restaurants. Our new tagline is “we walk in as strangers, and leave as friends” and it happens every single time. 

Third, and I don’t have any hard numbers where this is concerned, but we’ve been accused of being heroes (by the United States Senate) for our “work” helping restaurants during the pandemic times. We have had owners telling us that their wing sales have doubled and even tripled since our video posts.

Clearly 2020 has been an absolute nightmare for so many people. Some from a health standpoint, but mostly from a mental and financial end. Restaurants and small businesses are struggling to stay afloat and we're hearing the stories of employees suffering just as much if not more. Our hope, is that our fellow Wingaddicts get on the bandwagon and support their local restaurants as much as they possibly can. I know some people are afraid to gather indoors, and that's fine. Try takeout and gift certificates. Everything counts!

On a personal note, I can also say that I feel blessed to have made what will be lifetime friendships with Doni the Cleaner and Wingchef Ryan, who was a crucial addition to our team back in April. While we’re all about ten years apart (50’s, 40’s, and 30’s) and have very different personalities, we have created a synergistic team when it comes to wings. Our personalities play well together like, I’m thinking . . . The Beatles. OK, maybe the Three Stooges. Anyway, it works! There's that synergy again.

Where will this all go from here? Who knows? We’ve been just working without a net. But if feature stories in The Newtown Bee, Southbury Neighbors (we were on the cover), Waterbury Republican, Journal American, and The Hartford Courant can happen in year one, hmmmm. Food Channel? Netflix?

  As we like to say, “So many wings, so little time!”Thanks for your support. We love that you have become Wingaddicts right along with us!