With the opening of 74 new restaurants as well as development agreements representing another 182 domestic and 35 international new units, Wingstop Restaurants enjoyed its most successful year of growth in the 20-year history of the company in 2013. The company now has over 600 restaurants worldwide and signed commitments for more than 500 additional restaurants, which is the most in Wingstop history. In addition, Wingstop recorded its 10th consecutive year of positive same-store sales increases at 9.9 percent and an increase in domestic average unit volume to $974,000.
“The demand for Wingstop has never been greater,” says CEO and president Charlie Morrison. “All the credit goes to our dedicated brand partners and corporate support team. We achieved our 10th consecutive year of same store sales increases as a chain. In fact, over the past two years, our same-store sales have grown 23.6 percent. That is almost unheard of in the fast-casual segment of the restaurant industry and certainly for chains our size. And we expect the strong momentum to carry forward in 2014.”
Wingstop ended 2013 with 614 restaurants, including the opening of the 600th location in Sterling, Virginia, and further international expansion with the opening of the first restaurants in Russia and Singapore.
In 2014, Wingstop will celebrate its 20th anniversary and expects to accelerate its pace of growth by opening at least 85 new restaurants.
“We expect 2014 to be another explosive year for the Wingstop brand,” said chief development officer Dave Vernon. “Our low investment combined with an average unit sales volume approaching $1 million has generated interest in our franchise system that has never been higher.”