Winner Best Wings 2024
Words by MARTINA YVETTE
Photography by JASON B. JAMES
Produced by MORRIGAN MAZA, GOOD CULTURE CREATIVE
WHEN SAVANNAH NATIVE Gary Gordon graduated from North Carolina’s Shaw University in 2010, he returned home and found himself craving his favorite food from his college town.
“It felt like there was a void in Savannah when it came to traditional hot wings,” he recalls. “I jumped out on faith and started 520.”
Fourteen years later, 520 Wings has become a fixture on the corner of Victory Drive and Bull Street — a crossroads where the tony Ardsley Park neighborhood meets the hip Starland District.
Good wings know no bounds, it seems. To keep up with the growing popularity, Gordon has also expanded his brand with a food truck and a stall in Enmarket Arena. In 2019, he added 520 Tavern on Abercorn Street near Oglethorpe Mall, then closed it to make way for a new location of 520 Wings on a reinvigorated corridor of Waters Avenue near other burgeoning businesses like Waters Cafe, Goodfortune Market, The Stacks Bookstore (2024 Runner-Up Best Independent Book Store) and Cast & Grey Botanicals.
Open daily at 11 a.m. — and until 3 a.m. on weekends — 520 caters to anyone who has one goal in mind: to satisfy their own craving for wings, typically doused in a lemon pepper wet sauce. “It’s one of our signature, made-from-scratch dishes,” Gordon says.
As a 520 Wings connoisseur myself, I agree that the freshness of the wing flavorings and the temperature after preparation are definitely worth the wait — even if it’s on a bustling Friday afternoon. Pro tip: Opt for the garlic or crab fries on the side and, in lieu of ranch or blue cheese, try honey mustard for dipping the wings, or go for Gordon’s favorite, the Cajun ranch. (It’s worth the upcharge.) Last, but not least, if you’re going to have an authentic 520 experience, you can’t forget about their signature lemonades — the perfect accompaniment to a wing combo.
The real secret sauce for success is their local grassroots that separates them from chains, he says. “At 520, we put love into the product. I take pride in customer service and take pride in our product,” Gordon says. “I think they try to cut costs and dumb ingredients down, where we are kind of the opposite. We’re all about making a profit, but still like investing in our ingredients and not cutting corners. Trying to make sure all of our food comes out fresh plays a big role in being a fan favorite.”
To Gordon, the 520 experience starts before that first crispy bite. It begins with the smell when you walk through the doors, he says. There’s earthy, neo soul music playing, and work from local artists on the walls. Tattoo artist Coco created the mural at the Waters Avenue location. “That just all adds to the overall [experience],” Gordon says.
Not only does Gordon have a knack for flavor, but he also recognizes how his brand can help build community and give back. He often donates food through ongoing partnerships with The Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club and the Habersham YMCA. “Anytime we can help out, we like to,” Gordon says.
Savannah native Martina Yvette is a youth advocate, and a food and culture freelance writer. Her work has appeared in the Savannah Morning News and Atlanta-Journal Constitution. In 2022, she was named the Best Local Instagram by Connect Savannah and she served as judge for the James Beard Foundation Awards. Keep up with her culinary adventures @a_dashofthat.
