By Leila Scoggins
The Eatonton Messenger
June 27, 2024

Lake Oconee’s newest restaurant, Wing Maxx, is officially open for business.

“This is a momentous occasion for Putnam and Greene counties together,” said Putnam County District 3 Commissioner Bill Sharp following the Wing Maxx ribbon cutting on Tuesday, June 25.

The joint effort between the two counties was seen throughout the ribbon cutting, with business and community leaders coming together to celebrate the popular Statesboro-based chicken joint’s arrival in Georgia’s Lake Country. Scissors from both the Greene County Chamber of Commerce and the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce were used to signify the official grand opening of the new business.

Following the ribbon cutting, Sharp stepped up to the take-out window to be the first official Wing Maxx customer, and licensed owner-operators Travis and Samantha Bass happily served him his meal.

Customers quickly filled the double drive-thru lanes to get a first taste of the restaurant’s chicken wings, wraps, chicken tenders as well a large variety of homemade sides, ranging from macaroni and cheese to kale slaw, crinkle fries and fried okra. The customers were enticed by Wing Maxx’s wide array of dipping and tossing sauces, which include lemon pepper, sweet and spicy Asian, hot honey mustard, BBQ, teriyaki, chipotle ranch, parm garlic, inferno, medium and mild.

Before the ribbon cutting, co-founder Tina Hook thanked the community for helping make the location on the corner of Scott Road and Highway 44 possible. Hook told the crowd that if she talked about it too much she would get emotional as tears welled up in her eyes.

According to an article published in the Lake Oconee News on March 1, Hook has had a second home on Lake Oconee for over a decade and has had her eye on the Scott Road location for many years. Tuesday’s opening was a dream come true for Hook and her husband due to the fact that the new Lake Oconee location is the first expansion in the company’s history. However, in the March 1 article Hook told the LON that if the location is successful, she would like to open more locations in surrounding cities such as Milledgeville and Watkinsville in the future.