Wingstop Inc.
Public
Traded as
IndustryRestaurants
GenreFast casual fast food restaurant
Founded1994 (age 32)
Garland, Texas, U.S.
Founders
  • Antonio Swad
  • Bernadette Fiaschetti
LocationDallas, Texas, U.S.[1]
Locations2,700+ as of May 2025[2]
Area servedAustralia · Canada · Colombia · France · Indonesia · Ireland · Italy · Thailand · Kuwait · Mexico · Netherlands · Panama · Philippines · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · South Korea · United Arab Emirates · United Kingdom · United States · Puerto Rico[3]
Key peopleMichael J. Skipworth (CEO)
ProductsChicken wings, chicken tenders, french fries, soft drinks
RevenueUS$625.8 million (FY 2024)[4]
Operating incomeUS$165.6 million (FY 2024)[4]
Net incomeUS$108.7 million (FY 2024)[4]
AssetsUS$716.2 million (FY 2024)[4]
Num employees1,335 (December 2024)[5]
Websitewingstop.com

Wingstop Inc. is an American international fast food chain that primarily sells buffalo wings. Wingstop locations are decorated with a 1930s and 1940s pre-jet aviation theme.

The restaurant chain was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, and began offering franchises in 1997. As of 2026, Wingstop had over 3,000 restaurants in the world.[2][6] The chain is headquartered in Addison, Texas.[7] In 2003, the chain was acquired by Gemini Investors, which sold it to Roark Capital Group in 2010.[8] Wingstop went public in 2015.[9]

History

Wingstop was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas by Antonio Swad and Bernadette Fiaschetti. The first franchised location opened in 1997, and by 2002, the brand claimed to have served two million wings.[10] In 2005, Wingstop began serving lunch, and in 2009 it began selling boneless products.[11]

Between 2014 and 2016, Wingstop was the third-fastest-growing restaurant chain in the US as measured by both system-wide sales and unit growth, according to Nation's Restaurant News.[12][13] In 2015, Wingstop went public at an initial public offering price of $19 per share.[14] That year, their profits more than doubled.[15]

In 2019, Wingstop began using the tagline Where Flavor Gets Its Wings.[16] The next year, Wingstop became available for delivery in Dallas, Texas through DoorDash[17] As of 2019, the Wingstop Team Member Foundation acted as an employee-funded nonprofit that gave money to other employees experiencing financial hardship due to an emergency.[18]

On June 21, 2021, WingStop announced a digital-only restaurant called ThighStop, which sells chicken thighs instead of wings. The company cited cost-saving measures as the reason for the change.[19]

International operations

Wingstop opened its first international restaurant in Mexico in 2010.[20]

In April 2013, Wingstop announced that they are opening the first store in Southeast Asia, starting in Singapore.[21] In February 2014, Wingstop announced the opening of stores in the Philippines.[22] The first Philippine store opened in June 2014.[23] In the same month, plans were announced for Wingstop to open in Indonesia with 100 stores by 2021.[24]

Franchises began opening in London, UK in 2018 and have now grown to 20 locations in the Greater London area. Originally introduced to England by Lemon Pepper Holdings, the majority stakeholder in the franchise is now Sixth Street Partners - the same investment firm that owns the Far West Services franchises on the US West Coast.[25]

In 2021, Wingstop made an agreement with JPK Capital to develop 100 Wingstop locations in Canada.[26] The first restaurant in Canada opened in June 2022.[27]

In May 2022, Wingstop announced plans to enter South Korea.[28]

As of November 26, 2025, Wingstop operates in 15 countries internationally. Recent expansions include Australia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, and the Netherlands.[29] On this same day, Wingstop reiterated its intentions to expand into Thailand, Italy and Ireland.

The first Wingstop in Australia opened on May 17, 2025.[2] The first Dutch outlet opened on August 8 2025, at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.[30][31] The first Irish outlet on December 8, 2025 at Dublin's Liffey Valley shopping centre.[32] On December 13, 2025, Wingstop entered the Thailand market, in MBK Center.[33]

Products

Wingstop's menu includes a wide range of chicken products such as bone-in and boneless wings, chicken tenders, and fried chicken sandwiches.

There are 13 wing sauces, with some sauces available for limited periods as part of marketing efforts.[34][35][36]

Sides include fries, fried corn, and veggie sticks (carrots and/or celery). Sauces include ranch, blue cheese, honey mustard, and cheese sauce.

The menu also includes chocolate brownies as a dessert option.

See also

References

  1. ^ Henvey, Audrey (September 26, 2024). "Behind the Deal: What to Know About Wingstop’s New Uptown Headquarters". D Magazine. Archived September 27, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
  2. ^ Yun, Jessica (2025-05-11). "'If Wingstop can make it here, it can make it anywhere': The US chicken chain coming to roost". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
  3. ^ "Wingstop pushes international expansion". Nation's Restaurant News. 2014-02-12. Archived May 15, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  4. ^ "Wingstop Inc. Common Stock (WING) Financials". Nasdaq. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "Wingstop Inc. 2024 Annual Report". April 2025.
  6. ^ "Wingstop Opens 3,000th Restaurant, Showcasing Strength in Development – Wingstop Restaurants Inc. Investor Relations". Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  7. ^ "Wingstop Inc. Announces New Corporate Headquarters in Addison, TX". Wingstop. 2019-06-25. Archived from the original on 2019-12-07. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  8. ^ "Roark Capital Group Acquires Wingstop". Roark Capital Group. Archived from the original on January 20, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  9. ^ Nasr, Reem (2015-06-12). "Wingstop surges in IPO to close 61% higher". CNBC. Archived April 25, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-04-25.
  10. ^ "Wingstop". wingstop.com. Archived May 9, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  11. ^ "Wingstop Rolls Out Boneless Wings". QSR magazine. August 27, 2009. Archived April 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  12. ^ "2014 Top 100: Why Wingstop is the No. 3 fastest-growing chain". Nation's Restaurant News. 2014-07-03. Archived August 6, 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  13. ^ "2016 Top 100: Why Wingstop is the No. 3 fastest-growing chain". Nation's Restaurant News. 2016-06-28. Archived May 15, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  14. ^ Carnette, Jamal (December 28, 2020). "Up 600% in 5 Years, Is Wingstop Just Getting Started?". NASDAQ. Archived April 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  15. ^ "Wingstop's profit more than doubles in 2015". Nation's Restaurant News. 2016-03-03. Archived October 3, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  16. ^ "Wingstop". wingstop.com. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  17. ^ "Wingstop Begins Nationwide Rollout of Delivery with DoorDash in Dallas-Fort Worth". QSR magazine. April 26, 2019. Archived April 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  18. ^ "Wingstop Foundation Supports Team Members in Need". WINGSIDER. 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  19. ^ Wiener-Bronner, Danielle (June 21, 2021). "There's a chicken wing shortage. So this chain wants you to start loving thighs". CNN. Archived August 18, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-07-15.
  20. ^ "Wingstop to Double Current Presence in Mexico". GlobeNewswire News Room. 2019-09-23. Archived April 23, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  21. ^ Asia, Inside Retail (2013-04-04). "Wingstop to enter Singapore". Inside Retail Asia. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  22. ^ Asia, Inside Retail (2014-02-16). "Wingstop expansion reaches the Philippines". Inside Retail Asia. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  23. ^ Asia, Inside Retail (2014-06-16). "Wingstop makes Philippine debut". Inside Retail Asia. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  24. ^ Asia, Inside Retail (2014-06-17). "Wingstop plans 100 Indonesia stores". Inside Retail Asia. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  25. ^ "Sixth Street to acquire majority stake in Wingstop UK master franchisee". Yahoo! Finance. December 24, 2024.
  26. ^ Nightingale, Tom (2021-04-28). "Wingstop to enter Canada with 100 locations from 2022". Restobiz. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
  27. ^ Maze, Jonathan (2022-06-20). "Wingstop opens its first restaurant in Canada". Restaurant Business. Retrieved 2025-05-12.
  28. ^ Dong, Irene (2022-05-18). "Wingstop to launch into South Korea, building Asian reach". Inside Retail Asia. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  29. ^ "Wingstop Opens 3,000th Restaurant, Showcasing Strength in Development – Wingstop Restaurants Inc. Investor Relations". Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  30. ^ "Social media phenomenon ‘Wingstop’ lands at Schiphol Plaza". schiphol.com. 2025-08-08. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
  31. ^ "Order Ahead - Pickup and Delivery". wingstop.co.nl. 2025-08-08. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
  32. ^ Walsh, Andrew (8 December 2025). "More than one hundred people queued for chicken wings in Liffey Valley this morning". The Journal. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
  33. ^ "Wingstop Enters Thailand! Name Getsunova Takes Lead, Challenges 30-Billion Baht Fried Chicken Market". en.thairath.co.th. 2025-12-12. Retrieved 2026-05-17.
  34. ^ "Wingstop". www.wingstop.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  35. ^ "Wingstop Celebrates 25th Anniversary with 25 Days of Flavor". Wingstop. July 2, 2019. Archived December 26, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
  36. ^ Wingstop (February 11, 2021). "Wingstop's "Remix" Flavors Hot Lemon, Lemon Garlic, and Bayou BBQ are BACK!". wingsider.wingstop.com. Retrieved 2021-04-27.