Still Favorites for a reason: Lewiston eatery takes top pizza & wings titles in fan vote

3^rd year in a row Favorites named ‘WNY’s Best Pizza’

By Joshua Maloni

GM/Managing Editor

NFP’s annual football/food contest has a lot of competition: from watching, cheering and attending games, to special days and holidays (Halloween through New Year’s) – and all the planning those events demand – to winter weather prep and attempts to visit the gym.

When considering those things – and the fact Favorites Pizza & Wings was a winner two years in a row – one might think its patrons would be less motivated to take time and vote for the Lewiston restaurant.

One would be wrong.

In fact, fans doubled down this time around, voting Favorites “WNY’s Best Pizza” and “WNY’s Best Wings.”

“We're so grateful and appreciative, and we love our customers. They're the best,” said Katie Swanson of Lewiston, a 16-year employee.

“It just shows you how much determination that our crew has here, and how much we really care about our food, our quality and our customers,” said Austin Regis of Youngstown, a 12-year employee. “It shows us that the customer appreciates what we do, that it's like a family to them, too. When they come in here, they feel like they're part of our family.”

Favorites daily offers more than a dozen different pizza slice toppings.

‘WNY’s Best Pizza’

Swanson and Regis described Favorites Pizza as “Niagara Falls style.”

“It rises in a pan; it's not paper thin, like New York style. It has more air in the crust. It's fresh. The dough is fresh every day,” she said.

“It’s our own, honestly,” he said. “I think that's why people enjoy it so much, too. Because it's not too thick, and it's not too thin. A lot of people come in here and they say, our pizzas, they love how thick it is in our crust. It's not thick; it's just puffy, if that makes sense. It's like a fluffy pillow!”

Regis added, “I know that we use top-quality products. We don't cheap out on our products. So, it might be a little bit pricey or a little less profit margin, but we use very good ingredients all the time. If we run out of a product, we don't just get a different product. Like, say we're out of french fries, we'll just tell the customer we’re out before we go get a different french fry, or a different pepperoni.”

Something Favorites is famous for is its pizza slices. At any given time, customers can walk in and grab a slice from a selection of around 10 or so specialty pies, or choose from one of three classics: cheese, cheese and pepperoni, and old-fashioned.

It’s “whatever they want,” Swanson said of the choices. “The customers kind of determine what goes in there all the time.”

She added, “I know, Sunday mornings, there's people that come in – they love pineapple on their pizzas. I always remind them to make that Sunday mornings.

“It's evolved, the kinds that we always have. They evolve, and it’s always what they ask for.”

Swanson noted, “People are always amazed, every time they walk in. It’s shocking!”

“We're known for the variety. That's why people come here,” Regis said. “It's good food, and we have a lot of good varieties.”

“I love when people walk in and it's their first time because, after that, they're always a regular,” Swanson said. “When it's their first time, it's almost fun telling them everything that we have, and then they always come back. They're a regular after that.”

Katie Swanson holds a bowl of barbecue wings and a bowl of medium wings at Favorites Pizza & Wings. The Lewiston eatery won NFP’s “WNY’s Best Wings” contest.

‘WNY’s Best Wings’

Favorites chicken wings, “They're always fresh,” Swanson said.

“They're never, ever, ever, ever frozen,” Regis said. “And we use jumbo wings.”

“There’s everyday specials, and then we have a lot of sauces, too,” he said.

“And we're always open to new sauces and trying new things, and putting new sauces in the mix,” Swanson said. “People like to mix them together. We'll always try something. There's never too many sauces.”

Sweet and spicy and butter-garlic-parmesan are among the top wing flavors right now.

“The Favorites sweet and spicy – that became pretty popular,” Regis said.

“And the butter-garlic parm … insane,” Swanson said. “All of a sudden, people started ordering it like that. Then it went on the menu. Then everybody gets some butter-garlic-parm, like, no matter what; it's crazy.”

Customer service

Whether customers are buying pizza or wings – or both – they’ll find that, “We’re very friendly,” Regis said.

“A big smile, honesty, and the customer’s always right,” he added. “Whatever they say goes.”

“We're understanding,” Swanson said. “We like what we do. We're happy to be here. We want to help.”

“I would say, out of any place around, especially nowadays, that we're the most friendly,” Regis said.

He explained, “I think a big thing is we don't have computer systems. A lot of places have computer systems, so they don't have customer service – because you're dealing with your phone; you're dealing with a robot. Here, we have to answer the phones. We have to talk. You go to these fast-food places, or even a small pizzeria. They'll have a shelf over here in the corner with your food on it. You just go pick your food up and leave.”

“We don't want that here,” he said. “We want to talk to the customers. We want to greet you at the door. I think that's what keeps people coming – but with the great food, too.”

Favorites Pizza & Wings is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday at 781 Cayuga St., Lewiston. Call 716-754-8880. Favorites also has a second location at 3034 Sweet Home Road, Amherst.