Strawberry wings, spicy mango + more: A familiar restaurant is now open in Rock Hill

The secret is in the sauce.

That’s what Chex Grill & Wings district manager Yaman Rawashdah said about the growth and success of the Charlotte-based restaurant.

He said about 60 percent to 70 percent of each restaurant’s revenue has came from its wings and sauces.

A new Chex Grill & Wings location opened last week in Rock Hill off Dave Lyle Boulevard, and Rawashdah, who oversees all 15 of the company’s locations, expects the same to be true. However, the restaurant’s high standards will remain the same across the board.

The main draw of the wings and the sauces are the creativity of the flavors, Rawashdah said.

When the chain first started, it had the basic wing flavors like Buffalo and BBQ. However, owner Khaled Shamma realized that developing new sauce options could separate him from his competitors.

So Shamma began experimenting with fruit flavors and developed a strawberry hot sauce — the company’s most popular flavor. There are other fruit-inspired sauce variations on the menu, too, including apple hot, pina colada and spicy mango.

Every four to five months, the company experiments with a new sauce and give it a trial run among customers. If it sticks, it stays; if not, it’s back to the drawing board.

“He just kept adding sauces, and now we have almost 40 different flavors,” Rawashdah said. “And people just love it. They love the diversity of the sauces as well as the combination of the wings and the (other items on the menu).”

The menu also features sub sandwiches, burgers, wraps and salads to go with appetizers, sides and cakes for dessert.

The Dave Lyle location is the third to open in York County, with one on Mount Gallant Road and the other in Indian Land on Charlotte Highway. The new restaurant is also the third location the company has opened this year.

Rawashdah said the franchise has at least five new locations planned to open between now and the end of the year: one South Carolina location in Columbia, two North Carolina locations in Indian Trail and Raleigh, and two in Nashville, Tennessee.

Chex Grill & Wings

Location: 2391 Dave Lyle Blvd, Rock Hill, SC, 29730

Menu

Cuisine: American, wings, subs, burgers, wraps, salads

Hours: Weekdays 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Weekends 10 a.m. to midnight

Instagram: @chexgrillofficial