Leadership

Wingstop names Larry Kruguer COO

The promotion will enable Kruguer to integrate the chain’s U.S. and international operations.

Wingstop on Friday said it has promoted Larry Kruguer to executive vice president and chief operating officer.

Kruguer has been the Dallas-based chicken wing chain’s president of international since 2015. In the new role, he will be responsible for Wingstop’s global operations, supply chain and training. He will report directly to CEO Charlie Morrison.

“Larry is a talented restaurant executive who has done an exceptional job building our international business with development agreements that will put Wingstop on five continents and 13 countries,” Morrison said, noting that the chain just opened its 100th international location.

He said that Kruguer will enable Wingstop to “integrate our U.S. and international locations,” scaling them for future growth and “becoming a top 10 global restaurant brand.”

Wingstop has more than 1,000 total locations worldwide.

Wingstop COO Larry Kruguer

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

Do consumers want to eat out or stay home? Yes

The Bottom Line: The National Restaurant Association says consumers have “pent-up demand.” But a survey from Kroger’s research arm says consumers want more home-cooked meals.

Financing

The franchise M&A market is about to get two huge tests

The Bottom Line: Crumbl, and now Dave’s Hot Chicken, are both reportedly on the market, which will test the ability for fast-growth concepts to get massive valuations.

Financing

McDonald's paints a dim picture of early-year restaurant industry performance

The Bottom Line: The fast-food chain’s executives said that “the overall market is pretty muted” to start 2025, particularly among lower-income diners.

Trending

More from our partners