Wingstop, the American brand of chicken wings with 1,700 locations around the world, has just landed in Spain, although it has not done so by opening restaurants, but rather four virtual kitchens in Madrid and with a home delivery service by the Glovo application.
Three of these kitchens will open in the week of April 4 to 10 in the Salamanca district, the downtown area and Las Tablas, in the north of the capital, and a fourth will be inaugurated. already after the summer, in a location to be determined.
Nicolas Boudet, president of Wingstop International explains that they have decided to enter Spain with this business model “in order to quickly integrate the brand in Spain, where we see strong potential, and we hope that the opportunity of a traditional franchise will come with time. We are actively looking for a partner to lead our growth in physical stores, as Spain is considered a key market for Wingstop.”
Boudet explains that initially they will monitor the performance of their kitchens before opening more. In relation to virtual kitchens, Boudet responds to the controversy that exists around some dark kitchens located in residential buildings using premises without a license for commercial use that cause so many problems in the neighbors. “The location of our kitchens works in fully industrial or semi-industrial areas to avoid any of these problems. Finally, to prevent riders from blocking the streets, we offer dedicated parking spaces on the premises.”
Compete with Popeyes and KFC
In order to compete in Spain with specialized chicken chains such as Popeyes and KFC, the head of Wingstop in our country points out that the added value of his brand lies in the fact that “we offer ten characteristic, daring and distinctive flavours, ranging from from super spicy, like Atomic, to sweet variations, like Hawaiian, and iconic flavors like Lemon Pepper. Our commitment to ‘cook to order and our gravy process sets us apart from all other options.”
In addition to chicken wings, boneless chicken wings and chicken tenders or strips, the chain’s offer is completed with potatoes seasoned with a mixture of sweet or salty, or lemon pepper (considered its iconic flavor) and Cajun. “We also offer cheese fries and buffalo ranch fries. The ‘dipping’ experience is an important part of dining at Wingstop and customers in Spain will be able to choose from ranch, spice ranch, honey mustard and cheese dips; most popular sauces, as well as a wide range of drinks and desserts,” says Boudet.
Although he does not set a specific date, the president of Wingstop believes that the brand can reach 7,000 restaurants around the world (3,000 of them outside the United States).
“The Emea region is an important component in the global growth strategy, with new markets targeting the Middle East and Western Europe. We have a unique offering to take to Spain that does not currently exist, offering a premium fast casual concept that is differentiated by flavor. Further expansion is also planned in countries where Wingstop has already launched, such as the UK.”
Currently, the brand, based in Dallas (Texas), manages 1,700 stores -25 are virtual kitchens- in countries such as the United States, Mexico, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the United Kingdom or France, most of them under a franchise regime. In its country of origin alone, the brand increased its sales by 20.2% in 2021, to 2,000 million euros. 61.3% of revenue came from the online channel and a total of 193 restaurants were opened.
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