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Chicken wings and tenders soon will be the main attraction at a north-side Indianapolis building where doughnuts were sold for nearly 60 years.
The first Indiana location for Wing Zone, a fast-casual chain with more than 60 restaurants in the United States, India, Philippines, Panama and Malaysia, is expected to open by the end of the summer at 5527 N. Keystone Ave., said Brian Epstein, president of UrbanSpace Commercial Properties.
The building was home to The Donut Shop, which closed in October 2021 following the death of restaurant owner Romeo Reyes. Known for its distinctive orange awning, the diner opened in 1962 as a location of the Mister Donut chain.
Orange will return to the 1,800-square-foot building, because orange and blue are the colors of Wing Zone—a company founded by two University of Florida students in 1991.
Glenn Bill, an Indianapolis-based real estate broker and developer, purchased the building in 2022 for $262,500, according to property records.
Wing Zone franchisee Asra Khan, a northwest Indiana resident who’s worked for a company that operates Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins restaurants in the state, is leasing the space from Bill.
Epstein, who represented Wing Zone in the deal, said the intersection of 56th Street and North Keystone Avenue is a good fit for the restaurant that offers chicken wings in nearly 20 flavors, including “Buffalo Bliss,” “Nuclear Habanero” and “Blackened Voodoo.”
“Traffic is strong, the area is strong and the demographics are right for what [Khan] wants to do.” said Epstein, who added that he and Khan are working on bringing a Wing Zone to northwest Indiana.
Wing Zone is a subsidiary of Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, a Las Vegas company that opened the first of multiple Indianapolis sandwich locations in 2017 near the intersection of 82nd Street and Allisonville Road.
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Great…just what we need. Another wing restaurant. What a waste for the Donut Shop to turn into this.
Would you rather it sit vacant? Or get torn down for something else? Honestly short of resurrecting the previous owner this seems like a great outcome.
What an odd comment.
We loved it as the Donut Shop. It was very popular with locals. hope it does well.
Great news! Glad to have another dining option and I love wings! Wish it was donuts – but, happy the space will get a refresh and not stay abandoned. Do you have any insights to the space north of here at 55th and Keystone? It was a car repair shop for years. It’s very rough – but, primo location by the Mousetrap and Meijer’s across the street.
They better be amazing wings given that it’s less than a block away from the best wings in Indianapolis at Keystone Sports Review. I do miss the Donut Shop.
I don’t know how this myth about KSR persists. Mediocre wings with terrible service.
To each their own Murray R., but KSR’s cajun dry rub is where it’s at.