Career change and passion for cooking result in AJ’s Hot Wings

Published 9:00 am Tuesday, February 7, 2023

After Antoine Wiley spent four years serving in the Marine Corps, he moved to Milledgeville and attended Georgia College & State University. He majored in management information systems and eventually held several positions while working at Central State Hospital for 10 years. Wiley always had a sort of passion for cooking, however, which led at least in part to him opening AJ’s Hot Wings & More.

Antoine’s sister, Felicia Wiley, owns a restaurant named Felicia’s Hot Wings & More in Wrightsville, and according to AJ’s general manger Rachel Wiley, he borrowed that restaurant’s menu to start his own business. AJ’s Hot Wings & More grew from there and now has three locations. 

The AJ’s Hot Wings & More menu, as one would expect, offers wings (which come in 10 different flavors including lemon pepper and honey BBQ). AJ’s recently added a few new sauces to its lineup: honey garlic, sweet Asian heat and Nashville Hot. 

But there’s more to the menu than just wings. AJ’s also features chicken strips, hamburgers (which are made in-house), sandwiches, hot dogs and seafood such as fish and shrimp available for you to try. 

There are also several different side items including fries, fried green beans, corn nuggets and more. Another interesting note about their menu is that AJ’s Hot Wings & More makes their own tea and lemonade in house. Rachel Wiley noted that after adding their three new sauces recently, their plan is to continue to discuss new menu additions moving forward and see what the future holds in terms of whether the menu will be expanded. 

Though they are normally closed on Sundays, Rachel Wiley said that AJ’s will be open for the Super Bowl on Feb. 12. Online ordering is also available at https://ajshotwings.com/. 

While Rachel is related to Antoine, she says that she did not receive special treatment when it comes to working at AJ’s Hot Wings & More. Rachel said that she started out being a customer at AJ’s before becoming an employee and then going on to grow alongside the business. She worked her way up the ladder, beginning as a cashier, then becoming a cook, and doing various jobs for the restaurant. This is in spite of the fact that Rachel never intended to be part of the restaurant business. A native of Sandersville who received her associate’s degree in business from GMC, Rachel said she knew that she wanted to do something in business but was unsure what. Working at AJ’s, it turns out, has allowed her to learn the business side of restaurants as she advanced with the company. 

In terms of the community response to AJ’s Hot Wings & More, Rachel says that business continues to be good overall with plenty of regular customers. She made mention of the fact that AJ’s really prides itself on having great customer service. The business, in her words, has been able to grow largely based on word of mouth from customers. AJ’s is a unique restaurant that Rachel Wiley explains tries to give its customers a sort of “home” feel and make them feel comfortable. They also always ensure that the environment of AJ’s Hot Wings & More is clean.

“That is everything that I would look for if I was going to a restaurant,” Rachel remarks “Then the food just kind of seals the deal when we deliver it, the taste of the food.” 

What Rachel enjoys most about working at AJ’s Hot Wings & More would have to be at least in part, the connections she makes. “Connecting with different people, networking, and learning different stuff every day,” she says “I’ve been doing this for 10 plus years and there’s still something new that I learn each day.”