Nowadays it seems like the chicken wing market is getting saturated with options: Buffalo Wild Wings, Wingstop. Even places like Hangry Joe’s and non-wing-based places like Dominos have been pushing to sell more wings. But a new competitor has recently hit the scene here in Mount Prospect: Wing Snob.
As someone who loves any kind of buffalo wings I can get my hands on, I took it upon myself to personally try this spot on the day of its grand opening on Saturday, April 6.
The first meal I ordered at Wing Snob was a six-piece traditional buffalo-parmesan wing meal with a side of garlic-parmesan fries and ranch for dipping sauce. I loved this meal. The meal was a genuine 10/10. They were perfectly sauced and seasoned, the fries were filling and both tasted extremely good when dipped in ranch.
Despite the understandably long wait time opening day (any kind of six piece combo was only $1 opening day), the overall first impression was as close to perfect as it could get. The second time I tried Wing Snob I ordered an eight piece traditional-style (bone-in) buffalo-sauced meal with garlic-parmesan fries and ranch. Another phenomenal meal for only around $16.
I’ve been to Wing Snob four times since opening, and I can confidently say that it’s now my top spot to eat at when I’m craving any kind of wings- or even chicken in general. Don’t just take my word for it, Lake Zurich sophomore Justin Popa agrees that Wing Snob is an excellent choice for any kind of chicken- specifically, chicken tenders.
Popa’s Wing Snob order consists of five honey barbecue tenders with a side of garlic parmesan fries and a Dr. Pepper for the cost of roughly $15.50. As a picky eater, he was surprised by how much he liked it, saying that “the tanginess of the barbecue sauce and the sweetness of the honey left a ‘splendid’ taste in [his] mouth.”
Popa is a big fan of Wingstop, always ordering his go-to 10 piece boneless original hot and Louisiana rub sauce combo with ranch on the side, which typically costs him $14. In his opinion, Wing Snob beats out Wingstop- barely.
“[Wing Snob is] better by a little bit,” Popa said. “It has slightly better taste and [for the amount of chicken] it has better prices.”
Founded only seven years ago in Detroit, Michigan, Wing Snob was created by Brian Shunia and Jack Mashini out of a lack of quality and good service in already existing wing spots. There’s several locations across the Midwest and a few in Canada, mainly located in Michigan, of course. The nearest location to Prospect High School is a mere 10 minute drive away on 1713 W Golf Road, Mount Prospect.
One proud employee of this location, Oscar M., discusses the stress and success of the grand opening, saying that the line “spilled out onto the sidewalk” and that there were “over 1000 customers,” which explained the hour and a half wait time.
Perhaps because of the chaotic grand opening, business has continued to grow and they’ve seen “many repeat customers” according to Oscar.
“[Wing Snob] has doubled [in sales] since the opening,” Oscar said.
Overall, I highly recommend Wing Snob and encourage people to give it a try when craving wings of any kind (just don’t try the “HOT AF” flavor unprepared).
“Your lips will be straight fire,” Oscar said.
