Veronica Sepulveda
Staff Writer
Got wings? La Verne does at the new sports bar House of Wings that just opened in Old Town La Verne.
Since the restaurant’s opening on April 7, House of Wings has become the new hot spot for college students and community members alike.
Owners Arsen Asratian, Sam Ghapantsyan and manager John Ghapantsyan have the restaurant up and running, and ready for business.
“We offer great food, great prices, great service and great atmosphere,” John Ghapantsyan said.
This sports themed restaurant has attracted much attention from the community.
Its abundance of flat screen televisions lets customers watch several games at a time, and from any angle.
With a full bar and happy hour twice a day, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. to closing, it allows costumers to come in and enjoy the laid back atmosphere.
House of Wings also features a wide variety of beer on tap and in bottles.
They even have beers from microbreweries like Hanger 24 Craft Brewery, Rogue and Lagunitas Brewing Co.
However, House of Wings would not be an ideal spot for a study session or business meeting.
The atmosphere can be overwhelming due to the sound of music resonating from the speakers above.
“(The atmosphere) makes you want to suit up,” Jeffery Craig, a marriage and family therapy graduate student, said.
Customers also have the option of dining on the patio, where there are more flat screen televisions, a brick wall waterfall and a view of “D” Street.
After coming all the way from Hollywood the owners and manager were excited to extend their business.
Making the decision to open up a second restaurant was not a difficult one for the owners.
Spreading the love of wings to La Verne was something that they were happy to do.
Their first wing spot, California Wings Café, opened in 2005 on Cahuenga Boulevard in Los Angeles.
“Everyone loves our hot wings there,” John Ghapantsyan said. “We knew that La Verne didn’t have the greatest hot wings around, so we decided to give you guys a treat.”
The wings come in a variety of flavors, including mild, hot, danger, orange, sweet and sour, garlic parmesan, lemon pepper and tequila lime.
House of Wings’ menu consists not only of wings but also burgers, salads, seafood and even frog legs.
“The frog legs are fantastic, and the portion size was great for the price,” Craig said.
The wings have become popular along with their reasonably priced appetizers, which range from $2.99 to $13.99.
“What do students need?” John Ghapantsyan said. “Good prices and good food.”
One of their most popular appetizers is the Irish nachos, which is waffle-cut french fries topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, scallions, olives, sour cream and chopped tomatoes.
Costing $9.99, or $11.99 with chicken, the Irish nachos are enough to serve two or more people.
Other appetizers featured at House of Wings are mozzarella cheese sticks, zucchini sticks, onion rings, fries and red caviar.
With their diverse menu, low prices and great food there is no wonder why there is such a great response from the community.
John Ghapantsyan said during their construction he would see students looking into the restaurant, eagerly awaiting their opening.
He also noted that students said they were tired of eating at T. Phillips, Warehouse Pizza and Davenport Dining Hall and could not wait for a new restaurant to open so close to campus.
House of Wings is also giving the students at La Verne the chance to make some extra money by providing them with serving and hosting positions.
Currently there are 17 female servers and one male server, and about half of them are University of La Verne students.
Although House of Wings is fairly new, they are making a great impact on the La Verne community.
Their said their goal is to give back to La Verne, especially to the students.
The restaurant will provide student discounts and also participate in fundraisers to help the University and community.
“This place stands out from the long standing family restaurants on this street,” Craig said. “It is new but I can see it fitting in.”
Veronica Sepulveda can be reached at veronica.sepulveda@laverne.edu.
