Greetings,
My name is Dave Monroe. I was once an insider at Wings To Go — part of a family deeply invested in the brand from nearly the beginning. I didn’t just work at a store. I helped keep one alive. My stepfather, John Parise, was heavily involved, pouring thousands into a franchise that was bleeding out. And when it all started falling apart, Wings To Go didn’t show up. They circled the wagons around their own lies.
My mother was one of the largest private shareholders outside of the founders. In 2003–2004, during a shareholder meeting, the company voted in Mark Goodnow as CEO — the same Mark Goodnow who would later embezzle over $885,000 and blow it on sex hotlines and escorts under the name of “advertising.” Instead of rebuilding, Wings To Go diluted my mother’s shares into irrelevance. Her ownership was sabotaged — not sold, not traded, not bought out — erased.
And behind it all? John Martino. The quiet one. The shadow CEO. Pulling strings, giving orders, and letting Goodnow take the fall when things went public. Years later, Martino would attempt to tie me to a fake debt using a spoofed email linked to my own domain — a sloppy, desperate move. I kept records of it all. Receipts, logs, emails, domain records. Nothing was forgotten.
I was fired from Wings To Go without a real explanation, based on vague accusations and internal politics. They tried to label me unfixable and walked away while I was actively seeking help — violating the very workplace protections they pretend to respect. I lost my job, my reputation, and nearly my future. And I still have the termination letter. It’s now Exhibit C.
They thought I would fade. But I didn’t. I documented. I waited. And now I’m publishing it all.
I’ve watched Wings To Go manipulate, mislead, and abandon dozens of franchisees — the high SBA loan default rate isn’t a mystery. It’s math. It’s betrayal. And it’s how they operate.
To any future franchisee considering this company: ask for receipts.
Because I’ve got mine.
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