The Wing Experience in Chicago

When the pandemic hit many restaurants still stayed open for pickup and delivery. However, with city rules those restaurants were not allowed to have dine in customers.

Ghost Kitchen’s (professional food preparation and cooking facility set up for the preparation of delivery-only meals. No dining space for walk-in customers) are popping up in many locations. One new Ghost Kitchen to arrive in Chicago is “The Wing Experience.”

The Wing Experience Virtual Restaurant Opens in Chicago

The Wing Experience, a virtual restaurant created by Smokey Bones, opened in Chicago last month. The Wing Experience is available for delivery from ubereats.com, kitchenunited.com and smokeybones.com.

The menu features two styles of wings: its signature Smoked Wings and Jumbo Breaded Wings. Both offer a variety of 14 different flavors, including flavors that are not offered on the current Smokey Bones’ menu.

The new wing offerings are bursting with unique flavors. I tried the Maple Bacon BBQ wings which are tossed in a sweet mix of bourbon glaze, maple syrup and brown sugar, topped with finely chopped bacon pieces; the Peach Bourbon Wings are tossed in a peach puree, rib glaze and a splash (or two) of Jim Beam; and The Experienced Wings are only for the expert wing eater. They are tossed in a fiery mixture of buffalo sauce, tabasco, cayenne pepper and a hint of brown sugar.

Also available are five different sides, including seasoned fries; a baked potato with butter and sour cream; a loaded baked potato with bacon, cheddar cheese, sour cream and butter; cole slaw; and mac and cheese. Guests can also choose from a wedge or Caesar salad, and rounding out the menu are two dessert options of strawberry cheesecake and a six-layer chocolate cake.

“Wings are some of the most popular items on our menu and it made sense to create a virtual, sub-brand dedicated to wings,” said CEO James O’Reilly. “The Wing Experience allows us to expand our wings menu and get creative with different flavors and sauces.”

The Wing Experience was created in 2019 and has since opened more than 15 virtual restaurants, all operating out of existing Smokey Bones’ kitchens. The Chicago virtual Wing Experience just opened and is operating out of the Smokey Bones’ ghost kitchen, which opened in May.