WOW of Houma reopens after fire

About four months ago, the unthinkable happened … World of Wings Café and Wingery’s interior burned beyond recognition, forcing the owner to close his doors and start from scratch.

Now, the local franchise is again open for business.

“You never know how much you miss a place until it’s gone,” said Jeremy Griffin, WOW owner and operator. “People were asking me ‘When are you guys going to re-open?’ ‘How’s the remodeling going?’ They really showed how much they cared about me and my business, and I appreciate that.”

The Houma native said the construction crew worked continuously to bring WOW back to his loyal customers like Candice Labit and Joey Langley.

“We missed this place,” Labit said. “And when it burned down we didn’t have a taste for anyone’s wings but Jeremy’s.”

Labit and Langley have eaten lunch at WOW every day since it’s reopening two weeks ago.

Prior to the fire, Langley’s daughter, Jessica, and Johnny Doucet also frequented the establishment whenever they had class at the local EMT academy in Houma. Last Friday marked the first day Jessica Langley and Doucet have been back to the restaurant since the blaze.

“I have to thank the community for all their support,” Griffin said. “They did any and everything they could to get us reopened.”

Not only are the customers happy to be back, the employees are too. Nearly 90 percent of the WOW waitresses and cooks came back to work at the establishment.

“It says something when you have loyal employees,” Griffin said.

After the fire, Griffin made sure that all the workers had jobs in the area. Many went to Griffin’s Poboy and Grille, which is owned by his father Kirk.

Bartender and waitress Rahneka Billiot is ecstatic. “I am so glad to be back,” she boasted.

Billiot took a job at Leonard Chabert Medical Center during the four-month hiatus. She did, however, do a little bartending on the side at a restaurant in Houma.

Manager Phillip Doise stayed with Griffin and helped repair the building. Doise said worker morale has improved significantly. He said now everyone is willing to work together for the greater good of the business.

Griffin bought into the WOW franchise in 2006, opening the first WOW Café and Wingery in the Tri-parish area. And at the time of the fire, he was planning his next WOW business venture in either in Morgan City or East Houma.

“My plans are to still expand into other parts of Southeast Louisiana,” he said. “The fire was just a minor delay in my plans.”

Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Griffin was an account representative for a local food distribution outfit. He tried several other restaurant ventures, but fell in love with the World of Wings’ concept. “It helps that the WOW franchise is a Louisiana-born company,” he added.

Griffin holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Nicholls State University. From high school to college, the 32-year-old said he was destined for a career in the restaurant industry. Griffin has always had a knack for the trade, a trait he attributes to his father.

When asked what it takes to be a business owner, Griffin replied, “Capital, perseverance and leadership. It really takes a lot to start a business, but it takes a lot more to find a group of people that will stand behind you.”

Griffin said the reopening has been easier than the initial startup.

“You pretty much know what to do and what not to do now,” he said. “Not too many people can say they got the opportunity to have two grand openings.”

Griffin said what sets WOW apart from the other wingeries in the area is the fact that he offers a variety of wing sauces, such as Kansas City Honey Barbecue, Key West Citrus Salsa, Parisan Lemon Pepper, Thai Peanut and the Jamaican Jerk.

The menu offers 17 different sauces and spice rubs made from scratch with the finest ingredients in the world, he said. And anything on the menu can be flavored with WOW sauces.

According to Griffin, a New Orleans chef developed the WOW sauces and spices.

WOW of Houma has the honor of producing the nation’s best amateur wing eater. In August, Jeremy Cuevas of Houma traveled to New York to compete in the International Amateur Wing-Eating competition, where he took first prize. Cuevas was offered a chance to compete professionally on the pro-eating circuit.

Jeremy Griffin, owner and operator of the local World of Wings franchise, takes a moment to show his 2-year-old son Jase the new WOW truck during the re-opening of WOW in Houma. A fire closed the restaurant four months ago, but after remodeling, the Tunnel Boulevard site reopened Friday. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN