What began as one man’s belief that his backyard cooking was better than what he could get at restaurants has grown into a business preparing to open its third location in southwest Arkansas.

Kickin Wingz & Things opened Friday, Oct. 23, at 327 Highway 70 East in Glenwood, bringing the restaurant’s chicken wings, burgers and more to a city where owner Jarrad Shelton hopes to continue building his business.

Shelton, who started with a food truck in 2021, has since expanded into restaurants in Nashville and De Queen. He opened the De Queen location Sept. 6 and is now preparing to welcome customers at a standalone building in Glenwood.

“It’s really crazy that I even ended up where I’m at because I have no history in restaurants,” Shelton said in an interview. “I wasn’t a restaurant guy. I didn’t have food service experience where I’d worked in a restaurant or been a manager and then decided to branch out on my own.”

Instead, his experience came from cooking at home.

“I just always enjoyed backyard cooking, and everything I made tasted better than anything I’d ever had at a restaurant. So I was like, why not?”

Shelton purchased his first food truck in 2021 and found enough success to add a second in 2023. He said he secured a contract to operate at the Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro in 2022, while using another truck to travel to events and other communities.

In 2024, he moved into a small takeout and drive-through restaurant in Nashville, operating there for about a year and a half before moving into a larger building formerly occupied by KFC.

Chicken wings were the foundation of his business.

“I always enjoyed chicken wings. That was kind of my favorite thing to eat,” Shelton said. “I started working with a little recipe, trying to find the perfect recipe. When I did, I was like, this tops everything that I’ve ever eaten.”

His original food truck menu consisted primarily of wings and chicken tenders, but he expanded the offerings after opening the Nashville restaurant.

“Of course, I knew I didn’t want to be a wings-only kind of place,” he said.

Burgers became another specialty.

“People who eat there say I’ve got the best burgers in Nashville,” Shelton said.

He also tested his cooking against competitors. Shelton said he participated in a world championship wing cookoff in Memphis two consecutive years and was voted as having the best-tasting wings by the public during his first appearance.

Although he finished 21st in the judged competition, Shelton said the scoring emphasized presentation as well as taste and tenderness.

“Two-thirds of the score was the presentation of the box you turned in — how you made it look and your creativity,” he said.

That wasn’t his specialty.

“I’m not a creative, artsy kind of guy, so I didn’t score very highly there. But my taste and tenderness was good.”

With three restaurant locations, Shelton said finding dependable employees and managers has become increasingly important.

Two employees from his original Nashville operation moved into management positions at the De Queen restaurant, and he said he has assembled a staff in Glenwood that he believes can maintain his standards.

“That’s always a challenge,” Shelton said of staffing.

He said preparing the Glenwood restaurant has involved obtaining permits, getting equipment ready and training employees.

“I’m just trying to make it as perfect as possible for the public when they come in there,” Shelton said, adding that his goal is to make operations run smoothly and provide customers with a pleasant experience.

The restaurant is moving into a building previously occupied by a Mexican restaurant. Shelton said the former business’s sign was still in place Wednesday, but he expected it to be removed before opening day. His new sign is expected to be installed next week.

Although Shelton has discussed ambitions of developing Kickin Wingz & Things into a regional chain and eventually offering franchises, he said he plans to take some time before committing to another location.

“I’ve kind of scaled rapidly,” he said. “Once I open this one this week, I’m thinking I’m going to slow down a little bit.”

He expects to revisit expansion plans next spring.

“Maybe in the spring of next year, March or April, I’ll decide where I want to branch out next,” Shelton said. “I’ve got a few locations in mind, but nothing is set in stone right now.”