a joint · GAAmerican Deli

A counter chain out of Atlanta, open since 1989, that sells wings by the ten-piece with a long board of seasonings and sauces. Lemon pepper wet — wings sauced and then hit with dry lemon pepper — was invented here, and the company now runs more than 200 stores across ten states.

American Deli opened in 1989 with one store in Atlanta. The company describes itself as a small family-owned business at the start; it does not name its founders on its own pages, and this project could not find a source that does.

The wing that carried the name out of Georgia is lemon pepper wet. Wikipedia's account credits the variation to American Deli: wings coated in sauce rather than left dry, then seasoned. The dish travelled further than the store did. An episode of the FX series Atlanta put lemon pepper wet in a character's hands and attached it to J.R. Crickets instead; the writer Stephen Glover has said the wing on screen was drawn from American Deli's.

Inference — the chain sits in this set as a counter, not a bar: no dining room to speak of, a sealed clamshell, a bag. The wing goes home.

As of 2026 the company reports more than 200 locations across ten states and gives its corporate address as 275 Scientific Drive NW, Peachtree Corners, Georgia. Its own press page collects the Atlanta rappers, mayors and ballplayers who name it. Atlanta Eats, in April 2025, called it "Arguably the spot that started the lemon pepper wing craze in ATL".