Operations

Wingstop opens 1st U.S. ghost kitchen

The delivery-only location is the latest piece of the chain’s plan to go 100% digital.
Wingstop Ghost Kitchen
Photograph courtesy of Wingstop

Chicken wing chain Wingstop opened its first ghost kitchen in the U.S. on Wednesday, the latest step in the brand’s plan to go 100% digital.  

The ghost kitchen in the chain’s hometown of Dallas measures less than 400 square feet, less than a quarter of the size of an average Wingstop location. It offers a full menu and handles deliveries only. 

“We have a goal to digitize 100% of transactions as we drive to become a top 10 global restaurant brand, and we believe ghost kitchens are a great step for the brand as delivery and digital sales continue to increase,” Wingstop Chairman and CEO Charlie Morrison said in a statement.

Wingstop has thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic, quickly shifting all of its 1,413 locations to takeout and delivery only. April same-store sales increased 33.4%, with 65% of sales coming via digital channels, up from 47% before the pandemic.

An “enterprising franchisee” in the U.K. was the first to try a Wingstop ghost kitchen, Morrison told Restaurant Business in May. 

Following the Dallas ghost kitchen launch, “We expect those to show up in cities all over the U.S.,” he said.

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

With CosMc's, McDonald's shows its risk-taking side

The Bottom Line: The first unit of McDonald’s opened to long lines in its first two days. The concept proves that the company can get attention. And it’s willing to take some chances.

Financing

Big restaurant chains get aggressive on unit growth

The Bottom Line: Yum Brands, McDonald’s and Domino’s are all making a big push to accelerate growth. Most of it will come outside the U.S. But they have domestic plans, too.

Financing

Chris Kempczinski changes his tune on restaurant automation

The Bottom Line: While noting that humans will continue to drive restaurants, the McDonald’s CEO notes that the calculus on automation gets closer as labor costs soar.

Trending

More from our partners