SIDNEY — Wingers Sports Bar & Grill is now open under new ownership, and the 31-year-old local establishment is planning to celebrate its grand re-opening with a special Halloween costume party on Saturday, Oct. 29.
“Wingers is iconic in Sidney,” one of the bar’s new owners, Tom Martin, said. “We heard it was for sale and we didn’t want it to close, so we bought it to keep the same Wingers brand alive for the next 30 years.”
Martin and his wife Becky purchased Wingers this fall with partner Kyle Brandewie, after spending almost a year planning details of the sale with former owner Jim Fletcher.
“He wanted to retire, and he wanted to move back to Dayton,” Martin said.
In addition to Wingers, Martin and his wife also own Firehouse Subs, which opened in Sidney in 2017, and purchased Al’s Pizza in Troy in 2019. The couple are not originally from Sidney, but Becky Martin has lived in the area for more than two decades.
“My wife was originally from Newport,” Martin said. “She’d lived in Sidney for 22 years.”
Wingers Sports Bar & Grill originally opened in 1991 at a different location, where Advance Auto Parts is now. The popular bar and restaurant later moved to its current location at 2881 W. Michigan St. approximately 14 years ago.
Martin and his partners have already completed renovations in the building’s kitchen, and they are planning to do some further remodeling in the bar area as well. “We’re putting in more TVs,” Martin said, “and we want to put in Keno.”
“We also have replaced all of our fryers, so we can have the best wings in town,” he said.
Other things will stay the same, Martin said, including all of Wingers well-known favorites like wings or the half-pound Bomber Burger. ““We are not changing the wings,” he said. “We like what it is, so we’re going to keep it and add to the menu.”
“We’re keeping all of the original recipes,” Martin said. “We’re not changing any recipes, or anything like that.”
In addition to wings and burgers, Wingers also offers appetizers, sandwiches, fish dinners and other specialties. “We have a whole page full of appetizers,” General Manager Jessica Martin said. “We have a large menu full of bar food, and regular comfort food as well.”
“We have awesome tenderloins, and double-bacon cheeseburgers,” she said. “We have about everything.”
The bar’s new owners also plan to add several items to the menu, including a new wing sauce and new entrees. “We brought in a new sauce, it’s called Sweet and Sassy,” Tom Martin said.
Other planned changes include the addition of catering services, online ordering and delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats sometime in the next few months. Wingers also has new operating hours, and is now open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The bar and restaurant will also be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays, starting on Sunday, Oct. 16.
“Our goal is to have faster, better service than what it has been,” Martin said. “We want to be known for the best service and the fastest wings in town.”
Martin and his partners officially took over management of Wingers on Monday, Sept. 19, and a special Halloween-themed re-opening celebration is planned for 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29, featuring live music and a costume contest with cash prizes and drink specials for participants. More information can be found by calling 937-497-8333, or online at www.facebook.com/WingersSportsBar.
“That’s our grand opening party,” Martin said. “It’s going to be a costume party; we’re going to do 50% off the first drink when you come in.”
“The grand prize is going to be $100; second prize is $50,” he said. “We’re also having music by Jim McGowan that day.”
The restaurant’s website is https://www.restaurantji.com/oh/sidney/wingers-grill-and-bar-/.
