By Mike Pound | Globe columnist | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  

Next Tuesday is a pretty special day, as far as I’m concerned.

Technically, it’s not an official holiday. It’s not one of those days that cause banks to close or schools to let out, but it ought to be. It’s an important day to hundreds of loyal hot-wing devotees, and it’s certainly important to Floyd and Jacqueline Hackett.

On Sept. 16, 2003, Floyd and Jacqueline opened the doors to their restaurant, Hackett Hot Wings, at 1301 E. Langston Hughes-Broadway, and with that, lucky Joplin-area folks and visitors were introduced to authentic Memphis-style hot wings. Of course, after five years, it’s not quite accurate to call Floyd and Jacqueline’s wings “authentic Memphis-style” now. I’m pretty sure they’ve earned the title of “authentic Joplin-style” wings.

I mean, sure, Floyd and Jacqueline based their amazing wing recipes on those of the small, family wing joints in their hometown of Memphis, Tenn., but after five years, they’ve pretty much put their own stamp on their wings. I predict it won’t be long before folks are using the expression “Joplin wings” much like they say “buffalo wings,” as in: “How about serving me a mess of them Joplin wings like Floyd and Jacqueline serve up.”

To call what the Hacketts did five years ago a leap of faith would pretty much be an understatement. Floyd really had no restaurant experience to speak of. After spending 11 years in the Army, he moved to Memphis, went to work for the Pfizer pharmaceutical company and met a lovely young woman by the name of Jacqueline. When he wasn’t working, Floyd liked to try out the hundreds of hot-wing restaurants in Memphis. Soon, he was making his own wings for family and friends. After a while, he was trying out his wings on unsuspecting co-workers. The rave reviews convinced Floyd that he was on to something good.

In 2002, Floyd — who lived in Joplin from the age of 5 to 11 — heard that his uncle Prentise Hackett had a vacant building on Langston Hughes-Broadway. Floyd also discovered that Joplin, at the time, didn’t have a hot-wing restaurant. On June 28, 2003, Floyd and Jacqueline were married. On July 1, they moved to Joplin, and on Sept. 16, they opened the doors to their restaurant.

So, if you think about it in the next couple of weeks, you might want to drop by Hackett Hot Wings and congratulate Floyd and Jacqueline on their two anniversaries. But you better hurry because it won’t be at 1301 E. Langston Hughes-Broadway much longer. Don’t panic. They’re not closing. They’re just moving. On Sept. 27, Floyd and Jacqueline will close the doors to their current location. On Oct. 1, they will open the doors at their new location at 520 S. Main St.

The Hacketts have mixed feelings about the move. On one hand, they love their original location and the feel of a small, Memphis neighborhood wing joint it has. But the Hacketts are ready to move up. The new place, Floyd says, will be “more Beale Street,” referring to the legendary Memphis street.

The new location offers more traffic and more room for that traffic. While the Langston Hughes-Broadway location would struggle to hold 20 or 30 customers, the new location will comfortably seat 80 or 90 folks on the lower level and 50 or so on the upper level.

The decor on the lower level will be strictly Memphis, and the piped-in Memphis blues will only add to the atmosphere. Sometime around the first of the year, Floyd and Jacqueline hope to have the upper level converted into a sports bar.

Yep, things are changing. But one thing won’t change: the wings. Floyd and Jacqueline will offer the same great food they offer now. Wings, catfish, pork-chop sandwiches, hushpuppies, fried okra, corn nuggets and homemade desserts are just a few of their favorites. But the new kitchen will allow them to expand their menu. For example, instead of offering things like ribs and pulled-pork sandwiches only on weekends, they will offer them all the time in the new restaurant.

Floyd also plans to introduce his “new” wing when the new place opens. Technically, the wing is a Jamaican jerk-flavored wing, but it’s got more to it than that. A month or so ago, Floyd let my wife and I try the wing. We loved it. So have the other folks who have tested it. But no one calls it a Jamaican jerk wing. What they say when they talk about the wing is “The Wing.” And they say it with reverence.

So, when the new place opens and you feel like trying the new wing (and trust me, you will), just do what we do: Ask for “The Wing.” But please, say it with respect.