JK&T Wings Locations Set Aside Parking Space for Purple Heart Recipients
JK&T Wings’ Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, Buffalo Wild Wings® installed the company’s first parking space for wounded military veterans.
Though 1,500 miles separate JK&T Wings’ Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, and Bossier City, Louisiana, stores, the two Buffalo Wild Wings® locations are gaining attention for their shared commitment to military personnel. Both restaurants have painted designated purple parking spaces for wounded warriors.
Designated as a handicap space, the spots are purple and set aside for Purple Heart recipients. The Bossier City location features a sign declaring, “Reserved Combat Wounded, Wounded Warriors Family Support,” and is emblazoned with the Purple Heart medal.
Shrewsbury installed the combat-injured veteran space in early May while having the parking lot seal coated. Pioneer Seal Coating brought the idea to Regional Manager Scot Neri, as well as the franchisees, who were more than happy to include the spaces at the location.
“JK&T always is willing to support the troops. The troops put their lives on the line every day to defend us. This is our way of giving back. We also do a military discount every day in the restaurant,” Shrewsbury General Manager Michael Gardner said. “Pioneer Seal Coating came to us, as it was a project they were working on for months, and they decided BWW Shrewsbury would be a great place to start. We were the first business in central Massachusetts to have this done. It is a great honor to be able to give back every day.”
After seeing the idea in Shrewsbury, Bossier City’s BWW, located near Barksdale Air Force Base, thought the gesture of gratitude was an appropriate feature to include. The spot was installed Aug. 5 at the Louisiana location and featured on the local TV news a few days later.
“There are a lot of retired service members locally, and it is our way to show our appreciation for them,” said Bossier City General Manager David Helferich. “We jumped on the opportunity as soon as we heard about it. We are looking at doing this in Shreveport, Louisiana, as well, and hopefully, all of our locations jump on board and do this.”
Both BWW locations reported receiving positive feedback from the community. “There have been a number of tables that have pulled me aside to thank us for the spot. They either had veterans or active duty military in their family or they themselves were military,” Gardner said.
Helferich said the purple parking space set a trend with other Bossier City locales, including churches and businesses, which have subsequently added spaces.