Local BBQ place unveils 2 new ‘virtual restaurants’ offering wings, burgers

Smokey Bones, a barbecue restaurant that has served the Dayton area from its Butler Twp. location at 6744 Miller Lane for more than 17 years, has added several new delivery options built around chicken wings and burgers.

The restaurant chain’s parent company said in a release that it has effectively added two new “virtual” restaurants — The Wing Experience and The Burger Experience — at each of its locations, including the Miller Lane restaurant that opened in 2003.

These new virtual restaurants are delivery-only via Uber Eats, and they operate out of existing Smokey Bones’ brick-and-mortar kitchens. The menus feature Smokey Bones’ top-selling burgers and wings, but also include recipes and dishes created specifically for each virtual restaurant brand, Smokey Bones officials said.

“By opening these new virtual restaurants, we can shine a brighter light on the taste and quality of our burger and wing offerings,” Smokey Bones CEO James O’Reilly said in a release. “We are bullish about these products and confident in our expansion strategy, having already seen good results in our other virtual restaurant locations.”

The Wing Experience menu features two styles of wings: “Signature Smoked Jumbo Wings” and “Jumbo Breaded Wings.” Each offers 14 different flavors, including options that are not offered on the current Smokey Bones’ menu, such as Maple Bacon BBQ wings, Peach Bourbon Wings, and “The Experience” wings, which are tossed a fiery mixture of buffalo sauce, Tabasco and cayenne pepper.

The Burger Experience features a variety of half-pound burger options, including a build-your-own burger as well as special signature burgers such as The Big Kahuna and The Keto, which can be found only on The Burger Experience.

Both concepts offer a variety of sides, including options such as seasoned fries, a baked potato, coleslaw or mac & cheese, as well as desserts, Smokey Bones officials said.

Smokey Bones launched its first virtual restaurants in 2019 in partnership with Uber Eats. Guests can order through the Uber Eats app.

Smokey Bones operates 61 locations in 16 states. The chain is part of Sun Capital Partners, which also operates Friendly’s and Johnny Rockets.

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