Business
Top 10 Untold Truths About Wingstop
Chicken wings. Need we say more? Those delicious meaty morsels of flavor are pretty much always a crowd pleaser. Has there ever been anyone who walks into a Super Bowl party or an event, sees a plate of wings and says “Oh man! Why did you have to get those? I hate chicken wings! They’re gross and stupid!” No! And if you have a friend like that, then you might want to consider getting a new friend and never, ever talking to that person again. After all, who need9s friends that hate wings? No one! that’s who. Anyway, we’re getting off topic here. Wings are delicious and depending on what kind of sauce you put on them, they can be sweet spicy, or savory. They are always a winner with people because they are snackable, but you can also make a mean lout of them.
One restaurant that knows the value of wings better than anyone else is Wingstop, the one-stop destination for chicken wings, fries, and all those delicious sauces. If you’re a wing fan and you live in the right area, chances are that you’ve ordered from Wingstop and been completely satisfied. However, if you’re not lucky enough to live near a Wingstop, well, we’re here to tell you that you are massively missing out. Maybe you need to plan a road trip to get some? We don’t know how much time you have on your hands. anyway, Wingstop is the kind of place that can make a wing lover out of just about anyone, and if those people don’t love the wings from Wingstop, then they might just be a lost cause. These are the top ten untold truths about Wingstop.
10. Established in 1994
The nineties were a wild time, but 1994, in particular, was a newsworthy year. The music world lost a legend with the death of Kurt Cobain, the films The Shawshank Redemption and Forrest Gump both hit theaters, and Bill Clinton’s first term in office was in its second year. A lot of other things happened in 1994, but one of the most important things to happen probably gets buried under all of the political, celebrity, and international news. That big thing happening was the opening of the very first Wingstop. The restaurant opened its doors in Garland, Texas in 1994. That means that Wingstop is 24 years old. You might think that means that Wingstop is lacking direction and not sure what to do with itself, like all 24-year-olds. However, this chicken wing restaurant has already been growing steadily and expanding from its Texan roots. The first Wingstop franchise location opened in 1997. It has continued to grow since its inception.
It just goes to show that any idea can take off, even a restaurant that serves wings with an aviation theme on the walls. It’s actually pretty perfect when you think about it. We associate wings with flying, so the marketing gimmick sells itself. It’s also a somewhat ironic joke, as chickens are famously bad at flying. Either way, it seems that Wingstop won’t stop any time soon.
9. Features 11 Flavors of Wings
“11 flavors?!” you may be asking incredulously. “I can only think of at most, like, six flavors,” you might also be saying. “How can a wing place have 11 flavors? I refuse to believe it!” Well, believe it you must. After all, Wingstop wouldn’t be much of a wing joint if they didn’t offer their patrons a collection of bold flavors that made them stand out from the pack. You might not be able to name 11 flavors, but trust us when we say that Wingstop is offering that many.
Wingstop sauces vary from sweet to spicy and mild to hot. They include Hawaiian, lemon pepper, garlic parmesan, hickory smoked bbq, mild, Louisiana rub, spicy Korean Q, original hot, Cajun, mango habanero, and atomic. Now if all of those wing flavors sound delicious to you, then you definitely need to stop in and try them. Order all of the flavors all at once and see which one is your favorite! However, don’t blame us if you like all of them equally and have to order all of them every time you go. The thing about selling wings is that the wing itself is just a vessel for the sauce. Sure, the wing is important. It should be meaty, crispy, and cooked just right. However, it’s really the sauce that makes the wing. If that flavor isn’t there, then you are missing out on a big part of eating wings.
8. Troy Aikman was Their Spokesman
A good way to legitimize your business is to have a great spokesman; someone who can endear the public to your product and let them know that “hey, I’m a famous person and I love these, so you would probably love them too!” Well, Wingstop knew this and went out of their way to get a great spokesman. It wasn’t some guy who won a bunch of wing eating contests, either (although that guy probably would make a great spokesman as well).
Wingstop’s first public spokesman was none other than NFL Hall of Famer Troy Aikman. That’s right, Aikman himself represented Wingstop and touted the virtues of their delicious wares. That’s a pretty good get for a Texas business, considering that Aikman led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories. If anyone should be saying your wings are great it’s probably the MVP of Super Bowl XXVII. There’s not really a more trustworthy source of information that someone like that! A great spokesman isn’t just a celebrity who has never even heard of the product they are selling. A great spokesman should always believe in the product. Not only that, but they should have tried it at least once. Troy Aikman seems like an upstanding guy, so if he says that Wingstop is the place to go for wings, well, who are we not to believe him, right?
7. More Than 1000 Locations in 12 Countries
To be a successful business, you have to build and expand. If you only have a handful of locations, or even just one singular location, you’re never going to make it in the world (unless you’re a local hotspot which does great business just based on the local population and tourism). Wingstop understands this philosophy. sure, they might have started out in Garland, Texas, but they haven’t let that stop themselves from expanding outward and reaching whole new markets that other restaurants aspire to get to.
Currently, Wingstop has over 1000 locations in six different countries. That’s right! Wingstop has expanded from its humble little home in Texas to now also be located in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Russia, New Zealand, France, Singapore, Colombia, and the United Arab Emirates. That’s a lot of different countries to be able to find a Wingstop. No matter where you go, you’ll be able to dive right into the flavors you love. Who knows? Maybe those international locations even have their own flavors inspired by the locale. A business needs to grow and show the world that it can thrive in any location. Wingstop has been doing that for the last few years, and they are continuing to explore their international opportunities. That means that no matter where you live, in the next few years, you might see a Wingstop in your neighborhood.
6. They Exclusively Serve Chicken
Some places like to diversify their products. “Sure this place sells burgers, but you can also get pizza, tacos, and souvlaki!” They say. While this works for some places, it’s rare that a restaurant can do everything perfectly. They usually have one specialty item but fall short on everything else. That then becomes their weakness, and they need to scale themselves back, which can cost them money in the long run. Well, Wingstop has never had that problem, and it’s for one good reason.
Wingstop exclusively sells chicken. That’s it. That’s what makes them so popular. Diners don’t have to try and decide between the famous wings and a burger, or a pita, or anything else. They can get wings, boneless wings, or chicken strips. That’s it. What else do you need though? The restaurant is called Wingstop for Pete’s sake! Even serving chicken strips would seem like going too far to some people. However, the restaurant does it, and they have succeeded mostly due to their limited menu. You don’t need to gild the lily when it comes to wings: just do what you do best! This is a lesson that everyone should follow. Never try to do a bunch of things half-good. Be really good at one thing, make that your specialty. That’s why people succeed in the world. They make themselves known for being really great at something, and then maybe they try to do really well at something else later on.
5. You Can Order By Text Message
In this day and age, a lot of people don’t want to pick up the phone. It’s easy to understand, really. Talking on the phone has always been awkward for some people. You talk over each other, there’s the possibility of bad reception, and it’s hard to confirm the things you said and what the other person heard. In fact, the actual phone function of people’s smartphones is likely the last thing they use when trying to communicate with someone. They’re much more likely to send a text. Wingstop, once again proving their business savvy, figured this out and implemented a new ordering system. You can now order their delicious wings by text message. That’s right! the restaurant introduced a system that sends you text messages with menu options. You simply text back the letter corresponding to your choice and the restaurant gets the order. It’s clear as day, easy to use, and you have a text record of your order in case anything goes wrong with it.
This is another lesson that some restaurants could take from Wingstop. If you want to court the next generation and keep them coming back, then offer them easier ways to order than having to call in and say their entire order over the phone. No one has ever enjoyed doing that, which is why every time a group of friends is ordering a pizza, there is a debate over who has to call. Just implement this kind of system and you are golden!
4. They have an Online Ordering Service Called Wingbot
Wingstop continues their leaps into the future with their online ordering option. A lot of places have adopted the ability to order your food online, much for the same reasons listed above. People just don’t want to have to make a phone call anymore. They would much rather take their time, figure things out on their own, see their order going up in front of their eyes, and seeing exactly how much it will cost. It’s a system that, surprisingly was not picked up by businesses a lot sooner than this.
Wingstop takes it even further into the future with their online ordering option. Rather than just allowing people to click through the menu and pick out what they want, they have introduced something called Wingbot! With Wingbot, customers can actually feel like they are having a conversation with someone while they are ordering without having to pick up the phone. Wingbot can be reached through Facebook Messenger, the company website, or even Twitter! It has also just been programmed to work with Alexa as well. So if you ever want to order wings but also feel like you’re living in the future, a great way to do that is to contact Wingbot at Wingstop. We may not have flying cars or meals that come in pill form, but hey! At least we can order food from a computer program (that is also quite friendly!)
3. Founders Also Created Pizza Patron
You might think that the founders of Wingstop, Antonio Swad and Bernadette Fiaschetti, would have only ever opened one successful chain of locations. After all, lightning rarely strikes twice, and the same goes for business. It’s not that often that someone has two businesses which end up being truly successful. Well, hold on to your hats, because we’re here to tell you that these two entrepreneurs already had a business before hitting it big with Wingstop.
Swad and Fiaschetti had already opened a chain of pizza restaurants known as Pizza Patron. This popular pizza restaurant may have not hit the same high as Wingstop, but it is still incredibly popular in the regions it serves, which include Arizona, California, Illinois, and Texas. Pizza Patron prided itself on its inclusivity and often caters to the Latin-American neighborhoods where they are predominantly located. It has come under criticism from conservative groups for its promotions, which included a free pizza for ordering in Spanish and letting customers pay for pizzas in pesos. Despite the criticism of these policies, they ended up being hugely successful and drove huge profits for the company. The chain is still going strong. In 2017, the founders sold the company and have moved on to other ventures. Swad is developing a new restaurant chain and Fiaschetti has her own syndicated radio show. That’s pretty good for some folks who just wanted to serve people wings and pizza!
2. Their Twitter Account is Great
Pretty much every company on Earth has their own Twitter account now. The only problem is that a lot of them don’t actually know how to use it. They put absolutely no effort into making themselves known online, being funny, or engaging with their customer base. A few companies, such as Wendy’s (who have one of the most famously ridiculous corporate Twitter accounts) have broken the code and figured out how to advertise through their social media presence in a way that doesn’t feel like advertising. Another company that has figured out how to play the game on Twitter is Wingstop. They have successfully used their account to make their product seem fun and exciting, while also engaging with their followers by utilizing memes and specifically popular tweet structure. For example, one of their most recent tweets reads ” *when you finish one boat of wings and see another* you: thank u your stomach: next.” It’s a fun little way to play on a popular song that people are into and use it to advertise their product.
Other companies could take a page out of Wingstop’s book. They’ve probably hired a young person to handle their Twitter account and it is paying off. They are reaching a whole other group of customers that other companies are falling behind on. That’s why their account has 209,000 followers, compared to places like Beef O’Brady’s which has 2043 (and also isn’t verified).
1. Has Served Over One Billion Wings
Imagine a hundred chicken wings. That seems like a pretty big pile, right? Okay, let’s keep going. Imagine 1000 wings. Alright, things are getting out of control, but if you were having a party or a banquet, that would probably be more than enough. How about a million wings? Alright, now things are getting out of control. That’s too many wings! Well, we’re not stopping there. Imagine one billion (with a B) wings! Is your mind blown?
Well, put it back together, because we have to tell you something. Wingstop has sold over one billion wings during their lifetime! It looks like we might have just blown your mind again, but we totally understand. That is insane, right? A billion is a number that you hear a lot when referring to money or the number of people on Earth, but never in reference to wings! Well, it’s the truth. Wingstop has sold enough wings to give one to an entire seventh of the population of Earth! It’s a testament to the idea that if you’re going to do one thing, then you better do it right. Wingstop started off selling wings, and they haven’t strayed from that formula. If they ever did they might find that their success would be limited. Keep doing what you’re doing Wingstop! There’s no telling for sure, but one day the number of wings sold might even reach one trillion! We’ll stop blowing your mind, now.