Big Shot Bob’s House of Wings opened its first Wheeling location in September of 2018 at the site of the former Uncle Pete’s in North Wheeling.
Business wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t bustling either, and the location wasn’t doing quite the amount of liquor sales that warranted the higher rent and cost of the liquor license.
In March of 2020, right at the beginning of the pandemic, BSB moved to a new location at 2202 National Road in the Elm Grove section of Wheeling.
With a new location and eventually a new general manager, things have been picking up for one of the latest forays into the wing game in Wheeling.
“We’ve been doing better,” said Mike Dickerson, the current general manager of BSB’s Elm Grove location, its second in the Mountain State (Weirton opened in October of 2017). “I wasn’t at the last spot, but overall, we’re starting to pick up and see more business.”
According to Dickerson, the lack of bar sales at the North Wheeling location necessitated a move.
He noted the rent was “super high because of the liquor license,” and it wasn’t receiving nearly enough bar business to warrant paying that amount of rent. They needed a place to step away from the bar sales and just concentrate on selling wings.
“I think you can have tremendous results with the right person,” Dickerson said. “We specialize in wings, and that’s what is focused on, selling food and wings. But, if you have a bar, you have to utilize it. You can’t just be worried about the food, but the whole building.”
Dickerson came from the BSB Johnstown location, which had a successful bar along with the food options.
Now, Dickerson and his staff can focus on hoagies, burgers, and the big selling point, the 100 different flavors of wings.
Just a “few” flavors to choose from 
So Many Flavors …
Wings are what bring people through the door at Big Shot Bob’s. After all, it is the “house of wings” and for good reason.
With so many flavors to choose from, it’s hard to know where to begin. Dickerson recommends grabbing a menu your first time at BSBs and checking off the different flavor combinations as you go.
That’s the method he’s used, and he’s still nowhere close to trying them all.
“Put a star if you like it, or another mark if you don’t. That way you understand and remember what flavors you’ve gotten, what you’ve liked,” Dickerson said. “I’ve been a customer for about three years now, long before I started working here. I’ve still not tasted them all.”
There are a couple of things that sets Big Shot Bob’s wings apart from the competition, and it’s not just the number of flavors.
It’s not the wings themselves, either. Dickerson noted that in this area, there are really only 3-4 places the restaurants purchase their wings from. The difference is in how they are prepared.
The traditional bone-in wings come in sizes of six, 13, and 50. The boneless are offered in eight and 15 piece portions.
“These are fresh, raw wings that we start cooking only after you order them,” Dickerson said. “Then 25 minutes later, we pull them out, put them in the container and get to spicing. There are no wings sitting around, hanging in a frying basket or sitting in sauce. There’s no staging.”
There is no room for error with wings according to Dickerson, so BSB makes sure there’s no waste. Customers want wings hot and fresh, and that’s the only kind they’ll receive at BSBs.
That strategy also means they may take a little longer to prepare since the clock doesn’t start ticking until you order.
A Bit Pricey, But Worth It
Dickerson will be the first to admit BSBs wings can be a little pricey. In fairness, in a lot of places wing prices have increased because their costs have risen.
He noted that last year, wings were $40 per case. Currently, they are $130 a case with an expected jump in price until around August, when hopefully, he explained, the price starts coming down.
“That’s the main gripe we get is that our wings are a little pricey, and we get it,” Dickerson said. “But if we don’t raise our costs to meet the cost of the wings, we are out of business.”
But BSB has found a way to entice customers to not only try new flavors, but to offer a discount on their wings.
Each week Dickerson selects a flavor of the week. This week, it’s the Eye of the Tiger flavor, which takes the Talk of Beaver Falls (hot and tangy) flavor and mixes in ranch.
The weekly Flavor of the Week comes in 20 pieces for $18.99, less than a buck per wing. It’s also available in boneless at $15 for 15 boneless wings.
“We’re working on getting more people in the door with the Flavor of the Week,” Dickerson said. “We pick what flavor it is each week, but it gives people a chance to try different flavors and to get it at a reduced cost.
“It’s gone over really well.”
But as Dickerson said, he was a customer long before he was an employee of Big Shot Bob’s. He knows the quality of the wings. It’s a worthwhile expenditure.
“It’s a great flavor and food profile,” Dickerson said. “Personally, I don’t mind spending money on good food. This isn’t a fast food restaurant where the food is sitting around all day waiting to be served. Everything you order, comes out fresh every single time.
“That quality is worth the cost.”
Big Shot Bob’s offers delivery and carry-out options and is starting to open back up to in-house dining. Delivery is available through Delivery.com and ChowNow.
For more information, visit BSB online where you can scan through the numerous wing flavors and other options like hoagies, burgers, and sides.
