Wingstop has signed a development agreement with NBA retiree, Alton
Lister, to open its first Arizona location. Commercial agents from real estate firm Real Estate
Services, LLC have begun a site search. The restaurant is slated to open sometime in September of this year.
Alton Lister recently retired from a 17-year-long, successful NBA career. Well-known among ardent basketball fans as one of the
game’s top defensive players, Lister played for top teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston
Celtics, and the Seattle Supersonics. He made his mark within the league by : being a 1st round draft pick for the Milwaukee Bucks,
becoming a member of the 1980 Olympic Team, making the “All Rookie Team”, retiring as the All Time Leading Shot Blocker for both
the Milwaukee Bucks and the Seattle Supersonics, and being ranked in the top 10 in the NBA for Shot Blocking five out of eight years.
“My research has shown that going into a franchise rather than a start-up business has a much higher rate of success,” said Lister.
While looking into another wing venture in Dallas, Texas, Lister asked who their competitors were in the area. They mentioned
Winstop and added that they were really good at what they do. Wingstop was the next business he looked at. “Alton is a great athlete
and will soon be a great entrepreneur. He’s everything Wingstop looks for in a franchisee, sharp, competitive and driven. He’s also a
great guy,” said Jim Deering, the chain’s president.
Wingstop’s nostalgic, aviation-themed restaurants feature eight unique wing flavors, always made fresh to order for steaming hot,
tasty results. Customers can also choose from a variety of homemade side dishes such as bourbon-baked beans, freshly cut and
seasoned fries, carrot or celery sticks, and pearl potato salad.
In just three years of franchising, Wingstop now has 28 restaurants open and another 47 under development in eleven states: Texas,
Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, and now Arizona.
