Earlier this month a new restaurant was opened on the Adrian College campus. The World of Wings (WOW) Café is a place where students, faculty, and members of the community can come and enjoy delicious and affordable food.
Not only is this restaurant unique because it is located on campus, but it is also located directly above the ice rink in the Arrington Ice Arena.
Inside the restaurant, customers can overlook the ice through large windows while enjoying their meals, and during the games, the windows are opened, so customers can really be part of the action.
While the name, World of Wings, gives the impression that the restaurant is for wings enthusiasts, WOW offers quite a variety of foods to customers. They also sell quesadillas, sandwiches and wraps, burgers, salads, and desserts. They are also known for their homemade sauces, which are served with the wings among other entrees. The restaurant anticipates having their liquor license in just a few short weeks.
Winston Grant is the manager of WOW and is currently pursuing his culinary degree. His previous experience in restaurant management includes co-owning a Jamaican restaurant and serving as a food and beverage manager for Marriott hotels.
“It’s really great working with the college environment, but as a waitress, tips are not that good,” said freshman Iana Peck, who is a waitress at WOW. “I love the crowd though. Right now, it’s mostly students, but we get a pretty good amount of people from the community, too.”
WOW is open Sundays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. The most popular times to dine at WOW, according to Peck, are during the hockey games, and during the regular dinner rush from about five to nine. Students can use their dining dollars or Bulldog bucks for their bill and gratuity, and staff and faculty can use their department charge number.
“So far, the most popular menu item has been quesadillas with just chicken and cheese in them,” said Peck.
Junior Daniel Steinkopf has already been to The World of Wings Café eight times since the opening this semester.
“My favorite thing to get is the fried pickles and wings with thai chili sauce,” said Steinkopf.
Even though WOW has technically already been open to the public, they will be having a week-long grand opening celebration starting on Jan. 30 and ending with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 3. This celebration will include a “Wing Bowl” which is an AC students-only wing eating contest. There will also be opportunities for food specials, free giveaways during the week, and the chance for up to 25 people to win free wings for a full year.
Peck anticipates that business will pick up even more after the official grand opening, as much of the Adrian community doesn’t know the restaurant is open.
“I think it [WOW] most definitely adds to the campus,” said Steinkopf. “The atmosphere of the bar, the ability to use dining dollars, and the chance to watch the hockey games is just awesome. I would definitely recommend it to others.”
Junior Caroline Szczytko tried WOW for the first time last Friday.
“I tried fried pickles one time, and I really loved them, so that’s what made me want to go to WOW. It’s definitely my favorite item on the menu,” said Szczytko. “It’s a cute and cozy and warm atmosphere, and I like being able to eat good food with my friends while watching the AC hockey games.”
WOW is still in the process of hiring new servers. If you are interested in applying, go to the restaurant and pick up an application from the hostess station. For more information about WOW or other campus dining, please contact Tim McLaughlin, general manager of Sodexo, at 517-264-4127 or tmclaughlin@adrian.edu.