US fast food chain Wingstop to take on UK starting in the West End
Chicken restaurant Wingstop is the latest US fast-food chain looking to take on the UK market, and is opening its flagship restaurant in the West End.
The company, which serves fried chicken wings as its “central dish”, originated in Texas in 1994 and has since established more than 1,200 outlets across the States, central America, the Middle East and Asia.
The chain, where diners are encouraged to share dishes, aims to take on Nando’s and reach a core audience of millennials. More than 50 per cent of their US customers are under 35. It is planning its next outlet at Boxpark Wembley. Its two-floor West End restaurant, set to open in early August, will be opposite the Palace Theatre. Bosses hope to capture “pre and post-matinee Harry Potter play theatregoers”.
Customers will be able to order online and enjoy freshly cooked hot chicken wings — served with a range of 11 “signature” sauces — as soon as they sit down. Takeaways will also be offered alongside a selection of locally sourced craft beers and soft drinks. Its “mid-market prices” are still being finalised.
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Mr Morrison, who has led the company’s expansion since 2012, said: “We identified the top 20 or 25 markets around the world ... I think London presents the perfect opportunity. People love chicken here and, as I understand it, wings are becoming more popular in the UK.”
US chains such as Shake Shack and Five Guys have succeeded in London, but Wendy’s, Baskin-Robbins, Taco Bell and ChimiChanga have all but disappeared from the high street. Wingstop is convinced it will be here to stay.
Mr Morrison said: “I’ve been travelling around the city on the Tube looking at other opportunities [spaces to open] and we fully expect our run rate of openings to be around 10 a year.”
