Wingstop launched its first Manhattan ghost kitchen, in the Times Square area, part of a plan to open more than 20 traditional locations and ghost kitchens over the next three years.
Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Wingstop Inc. operates and franchises over 1,500 locations worldwide. The “Wing Experts” offering of classic wings, boneless wings and tenders, cooked to order and hand-sauced-and-tossed in fans’ choice of 11 bold, distinctive flavors. Wingstop’s menu also features signature sides including fresh-cut, seasoned fries and freshly-made ranch and bleu cheese dips.
“The opening of Manhattan builds upon our strong development pipeline that has delivered record setting development each quarter in 2021,” said Wingstop CEO and Chairman Charlie Morrison. “With the combination of ghost kitchens and traditional locations in Manhattan, we’re following a proven playbook similar to our UK market, which now has AUVs at more than $2 million, surpassing our domestic average.”
With the launch of Wingstop’s first ghost kitchen in the U.K. in June 2020, the brand has seen promising results throughout its ghost kitchen portfolio. Ghost kitchens create an opportunity to penetrate areas with high real estate costs or lower inventory of retail space.
The success experienced in the U.K. serves as fuel as the brand looks to replicate the archetype strategy in markets outside of Manhattan, including San Francisco, California, where Wingstop has an existing, small high street presence and one ghost kitchen.
