Buffalo wing lovers might soon be flying east to Beaver Avenue to eat their favorite treats.

Wing Zone is opening a store tomorrow at the corner of Beaver Avenue and Sowers Street.

Brian Cooper, manager of the State College Wing Zone and former part-owner of the company, said the new eatery will probably be the No. 1- or No. 2-ranking franchise in the chain.

"No one really does what we do in town," Cooper said. "There's a pizza shop on every other corner. There's no real alternative to pizza."

Wing Zone offers only take out and delivery and is open from 4 p.m. until early morning. It offers customers wings in 25 different flavors, a variety of appetizers, burgers, sandwiches and salads. The wing flavors range from mild to nuclear and include other eclectic tastes such as cajun, teriyaki, garlic parmesan and the "Mystery Flavor."

Avid wing lover Shane Gilliatt (senior-finance) said he is excited about the franchise's opening.

"I wonder if their nuclear sauce is really as hot as they say it is," Gilliatt said. "(Other restaurants) always say their wings are the hottest, but they're usually comparable to mild."

Gilliatt said he has never tried any other wing flavors except regular sauce and barbecue sauce but is willing to try the other flavors and is interested in the Mystery Flavor.

Teresa Sparacino, executive director of the Downtown State College Partnership, said Wing Zone is a great idea and a welcome addition to the community.

"It's definitely different," Sparacino said. "Not only will it appeal to students but older people looking for different tastes."

Cooper said the restaurant started almost on a whim. "The Wing Zone actually started with some guys who didn't know what they were doing," he said.

Cooper said the idea started with two men at Florida State University looking for an alternative to pizza for their late-night munchies.

After a trip to a wholesale club and long hours in their fraternity kitchen developing their special sauces, the men developed the Wing Zone concept.

After selling out of wings on their first two nights of business, they sold their idea to a firm in Boston and opened two storefronts in Gainesville, Fla.

Now the company has 25 locations around the nation and Success magazine lists it as one of its Gold 200 companies.

The company focuses on college towns and already has restaurants at other schools such as Texas A&M and the University of Kentucky.

The Wing Zone will start to serve customers on Wednesday but plans to officially celebrate with a grand opening party on March 23. A ribbon cutting ceremony, which will be attended by Mayor Bill Welch, is scheduled for that date.

Students interested in learning more about Wing Zone can visit its Web site at www.wingzone.com.