Last month, hundreds of people went to the Regalia Hotel & Conference Center as restaurants battled for the title of "Best Wings at the Lake," but only one came away with the victory.
Franky & Louie's took home the gold for the 2025 WingFest! And even though The Encore Lakeside Grill & Sky Bar got second, they won the Peoples Choice. Pappo's Pizzeria & Pub finished third and won "Best Presentation."
Over 850 people were in attendance to judge and enjoy wings from across 14 area restaurants.
"Our team loves participating in WingFest and always sets our sights on winning," said Christopher Galloway, owner of Pappo's. "But win or lose, more importantly, Pappo's is proud to support our community, and we're grateful so many local charitable organizations benefit from this event."
Organized in partnership with Central Bank Lake of the Ozarks and the Lake Ozark Rotary-Noon Club, WingFest was able to give a record amount of $24,000+ to the Lake. Local charities and scholarships for students benefited from restaurants' generosity, sponsors, ticket sales, 50/50 raffle proceeds, t-shirt and koozie sales, plus donations.
Central Bank donates their proceeds to the Community Foundation of the Lake annually, while the Rotary donated half of their proceeds to the Osage Beach Firefighters Benevolent Association this year.
"The motto of Rotary is "Service Above Self," and we are honored to support our local firefighters who put their lives on the line daily, serving and protecting the community we love so much," said Janelle Stockstill, the Lake Ozark Rotary Noon-Club president.
The WingFest, originally known as the Wing Ding, started in 2000 and has been held poolside at the Regalia for the last four years.
