Across four decades in food and hospitality, veteran restaurateur Tre Jones has leveraged his experience to create a dazzling menu of 200 differently favored chicken wings.
Since starting ‘Wingmaster’ close to 20 years ago, Jones, who was born and raised in Brantford, became obsessed in experimenting and perfecting his recipes, gaining a loyal following in the process. Jones explained the moment that started his chicken wing endeavor.
“In 2001 I was working at a restaurant in Hamilton and a woman came to the kitchen and slammed her wings down in front of me and said she didn’t like them because they were supposed to be suicide [and she said they weren’t]. So, I thought about it and told her I would have a new sauce for her,” Jones recalled. “I didn’t know anything about suicide sauce…but it was a problem that I was going to solve for this woman who was distraught over these wings. I started to dig in [and] it took me six months….[enduring] heckles from this woman and her husband, until I had a finished product…[and I am continually] looking to perfect. It’s called Devil’s Juice.”
Jones, who cooked in many kitchens in Brantford including Ponderosa, and Red Lobster among others, always had the idea of starting his own restaurant for a long time and that opportunity came from that exchange.
“There are a few people in my life that have had a huge effect on me…[and] that woman had no idea that she was challenging me and my very existence. I can’t remember who she is…but as soon as she challenged me, it was almost like everything else was shut off, and I just dug into that,” reflected Jones. “This turned into a nine-year process where I had to reinvent myself, find an actual idea, and that’s where chicken wings came in. I always had a passion for the cooking process, but I also understood that if you could solve a problem, you have a business.”
Even working at other kitchens, Jones worked tirelessly developing his sauce recipes and credits his mother as fueling his passion early on.
“I was self-taught. I had to learn how to quickly produce these 200 flavors without having bottles all over a place when I first started. It took me many years to get the recipes down to a three-step process,” he said. “Also, I have always been a recipe collector [and] I started with my mom back in the day, learning from her. When I was a kid, my dad would go outside and play hockey, but I would always find myself going back home and seeing my mom make something like banana bread…I don’t think my dad really saw the value of a man in the kitchen…unless you were barbecuing out back. And now, I doing what I am passionate about and that’s cooking and sharing my love of food with people.”
In 2005, Jones took the plunge and opened ‘Wingmaster’ at its original location before moving to Erie Ave, and since then has valued the chance to educate customers on his offerings.
“We’re really in the flavor business and some people are only attached to what they like, which I find is something like a mild or medium wing or honey garlic. I mean, they will still get the best wings from those basic flavors from me…but really, to get your full value of what I offer, you have to dive in and have a look at that menu. And the big thing is not to be afraid,” Jones explained. “I have people come in all the time with fear in their eyes when they are looking through the menu and especially when start to look at the suicides. But I explain to them that once you see where you’re at the menu you’ll find a ‘home’ there and a flavor you will like. At this point, they get a little bit more relaxed.”
However, with the success of the establishment, Jones has to wrestle with maintaining the core Wingmaster business or pursuing options like franchising.
“We get people from all over Ontario like Cambridge, Kitchener, Guelph, and Waterloo [and] we have customers from all over the world that come in from countries like Ireland and the United States and they tell us all the time how great the wings are. They then ask me if there is a Wingmaster location in their city…and I tell them it’s only this one in Brantford. When I started, the plan was never to have a franchise model,” he reflected. “Do you need passion to start a franchise? I have asked this to myself…and to be honest, I don’t know how to separate that. You know, passion is just within me. So, do you trade out passion for money? And I don’t know how to sell the business without that passion.”
Nevertheless, Jones continues to relish his experience as an entrepreneur developing a menu of wing flavors such as the signature brand flavor Apple Pie BBQ and other popular ones like Peanut Butter and Jam and Texas Gold and appealing to new customers.
“I started in the [food] business in 1981 and I’ve come and gone a couple times. I tried working in factories before at my dad’s suggestion, but I’ve always come back to the restaurant business,” said Jones. “I’ve been very lucky that my food has touched so many people [and has] put smiles on their faces, especially if they have been going through something difficult in their lives or simply having a tough week…and when they come in and become excited over my chicken wings, for me, it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
