By Mark Kneubuhl
Special to LIVE!
September 9, 2007

For Douglas and Riley Williams, who grew up in Odessa in the 1980’s, there was never much food on their small oak table in the center of their kitchen at home. But fortunately the two boys were never hungry, nor were they hardly home to eat.

In the pre-day care days, the two brothers spent most of their idle time at their parents at place of business, which happened to be a restaurant.

“I was practically born and raised in a restaurant,” said younger brother Douglas, who now owns and operates Wing Stop Restaurant at the Southwest Plaza on Knickerbocker Road.

“This business isn’t even second nature to me… it’s more like ‘first nature,’ and I love it,” he said enthusiastically.

After high school, Williams spent two years on mission in Argentina for the Church of the Latter Day Saints.

“That was a wonderful experience for me. It taught me a lot about the world around us and myself too,” said Williams, who as a result of the mission’s pre-training, speaks fluently in Spanish. “Speaking another language and especially Spanish is just an incredible plus for me in everything I do, personally and professionally,” he added.

After the mission, Williams headed off to Salt Lake City where he enrolled in college to pursue a degree in nursing, while working as a chef at the Snowbird Resort. It was there, in 2001, that he met his wife Anita.

“Salt Lake City is a great place for people who like the outdoors,” said Williams of his Utah experience.

In early 2005, it seemed like the young man from Odessa had his whole life in front of him: He had a great job, school was going well and he and Anita were preparing to welcome their first child into the world.

What brought Douglas back to West Texas and San Angelo in particular?

“It was a combination of several things,” said Williams. His father had previously opened a Wing Stop in Odessa and for some time had been urging his son to do the same in San Angelo.

“So we looked into it. Both my wife and I knew it would be a big adjustment… especially for her having been born and raised in Salt Lake. We came down to visit first and realized a lot of good things. Most important was that we both wanted to raise a family and what I mean by that is we didn’t want a day-care to raise our children. The cost living here is such that we could do that with just one parent working,” said Williams.

With that, the decision was made and in October 2005 the Williams’ with their newborn baby girl, Gracie, packed their bags, loaded up the truck and drove south and east.

Upon arriving in San Angelo, no time was wasted. Douglas found a location for the business, rented an apartment nearby and rolled up his sleeves.

“I built almost everything myself where it didn’t require a license,” Williams said of the renovations to the restaurant. “I guess I got that from my Dad when I was young. He had three different restaurants and besides the cooking, he did all the building and repairs himself. I love the restaurant business but my brother won’t have anything to do with it. He is a plumber. I guess he paid more attention to Dad when he was repairing things. But I really had a lot of fun fixing up this place,” he said proudly.

Wing Stop sizzled its way through its first year of business, which is generally the “make it or break it” period for any new business. Now Wing Stop closing in on two years of operation.

Williams said his busiest day so far was last year’s Superbowl where they had to create a schedule of time slots where customers could order in advance.

“All day long we were cooking to capacity, which is 600 wings every 15 minutes. That day certainly paid our rent for the month,” he said.

So, what’s the secret of Williams’ success?

That easy: A great product at a reasonable price. And if you have ever tried any one of Wing Stop’s nine tasty varieties, your mouth is probably watering right now while reading about it (as mine is, while writing about it).

And the fries? This reporter has eaten French fries in nearly every state west of the Mississippi, Mexico and a few independent countries in the South Pacific. I have near had one as tasty as the fries at Wing Stop at the Southwest Plaza.

The restaurant has a cozy feel (it’s a good thing 80% of their business is take-out. I could get crowded otherwise), with lots of aviation memorabilia showcased on the walls and ceiling.

The young Williams family has many good things going for them. The business is doing well and on the day of this interview, Douglas and Anita just signed the final papers, closing on their first home in San Angelo. And they are also expecting an addition to the family this October.

“What more could you want,” LIVE! asked Douglas?

“Well, it would nice if next year’s SuperBowl goes into overtime!”

Recently, the Wing Stop corporation celebrated the sale of its one-billionth wing. The franchise that started in Dallas in 1984 now has 550 stores throughout the nation. One of them is right here in San Angelo.