Wingstop—the brand sitting alone atop the wing segment—wants to prove it’s also an expert in the art of chicken tenders. After a two-year journey involving rethinking, rebuilding, and rigorously testing the product, the fast casual is ready to show the industry that its culinary creativity extends beyond the bone.
Leading the charge is senior director of culinary Larry Bellah, who’s been with the chain since 2015. For him, it wasn’t just about meeting customer expectations. It was about exceeding them in a way that only Wingstop can.
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“In the past, we did have tenders and our tenders were always designed to be sauced and tossed. What we found out is that a lot of our guests wanted tenders not just covered with flavor, but maybe they could customize their own, dip it in what they want, get things the way they wanted,” Bellah says. “So we wanted to make sure that we had a tender that would deliver great flavor, great texture, even if we didn’t put sauce on it. So that was the emphasis of what started it. And then as we started getting into the project, the point was we need to create the best tender in the industry.”
According to Bellah, developing the new tender took about a year of R&D, followed by a full year of testing across multiple markets. The tenders can be ordered in any of Wingstop’s 12 signature flavors. The chef noted that Hot Honey is performing especially well, along with the dry rubs that get into the “nooks and crannies” of the breaded products.
Thus far, Wingstop has felt enthusiasm from social media chatter and rising sales numbers. The chain even opened a pop-up shop in NYC called “Bar Tender” to connect with influencers and media and further market the new chicken tenders. It gave Bellah a unique opportunity to get out of the kitchen and talk to people, see their reactions, and hear what they love.
For employees across the country, the upgraded product doesn’t complicate operations.
“I think part of the success of Wingstop is even though we’ve now added a chicken sandwich, even though we’re leaning into tenders, we really don’t do a lot of things to complicate what we do,” Bellah says. “You think about it, we cook it, we toss it, we sell it, and the tenders just flow through that process perfectly. So whether it’s a tender, it’s a boneless wing, whether it’s a classic wing or even a chicken sandwich, it’s cooked, it’s tossed, and then it’s basically put in the boat and it goes away. So all of those were designed to make sure that they fit within our structure seamlessly. And so operationally there’s really no challenge at all.”
The addition of tenders—and previously the chicken sandwich—has expanded Wingstop’s appeal to a broader audience. Bellah sees this as a way to welcome new guests who might not typically visit a wing-focused concept.
Though Bellah couldn’t share many specifics about what’s next, his enthusiasm is clear.
“We’ve got a lot of good stuff,” Bellah says. “A lot of good stuff coming.”
