Epic Wings, a beloved San Diego-based chain, has landed in Long Beach, with a new location recently opened in Bixby Knolls.

The store is planning an official grand opening that will include a DJ at 11 a.m. on June 10, but it has already started serving customers, after owner Lewis Khashan waited months on permits to open.

Epic Wings’ new Long Beach location is now serving customers at 4494 Atlantic Ave. Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Photo by Brandon Richardson.

Khashan, an attorney, used to live and attend school in Long Beach. He owned a business in the city in the mid-2000s, before deciding to move to the Inland Empire to open his personal injury law firm, Khashan Law Firm, in Murrieta. Now, he’s back in Long Beach as a franchisee for Epic Wings—and a new law office in Bixby Knolls, down the street from the restaurant.

“I really love the community, it’s so outgoing, friendly,” Khashan said. “We also wanted a place that had a big patio, and it all worked out.”

Bread sticks are brushed with butter at the new Epic Wings location at 4494 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Photo by Brandon Richardson.

Khashan considers himself a foodie and is always on the hunt for new places to try—the first time he tried Epic Wings was in Murrieta, and he just kept going back.

“I got hooked,” Khashan. “There’s no freezers, no microwaves. Everything is cooked to order.”

The restaurant’s menu features freshly baked, buttered and salted bread, salads, fries and, of course, wings—with 10 sauce options like garlic parmesan, lemon pepper, and zero-calorie atomic sauce.

Despite only having been open for a week, Khashan has been paying staff for while as he waited for city permits to come through. His manager has been on payroll for four months, and the rest of his staff, which he hired two months ago, were paid for an entire month while they all waited, Khashan said.

“I felt so bad,” Khashan said. “I didn’t want to lose them, so I said, ‘Let’s just pay them, and they can enjoy a month-long vacation.'”

But the store is finally open, and Khashan is considering bringing more Epic Wings to the area—if the process isn’t so difficult.

Epic Wings is located at 4494 Atlantic Ave.

A line of sauces at the new Epic Wings at 4494 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
Chicken wings are tossed in Epic Wings’ medium buffalo sauce inside the new location at 4494 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
An order of medium buffalo wings at the new Epic Wings location at 4494 Atlantic Ave. in Bixby Knolls Wednesday, May 31, 2023. Photo by Brandon Richardson.