A Day In The Life Of A Wingstop Franchisee

Posted on March 20, 2009 by Jon Clem

The Story of Success
Throughout recorded history, people have been eating chicken: the breast, the drumstick, we love it all. Then again, there are those parts that people historically haven’t enjoyed as much, like the wings. They’re sort of scrawny, there’s not much on them compared to other parts, and for whatever reason, the wings have been the last pieces to leave the plate at family dinners across America.

It was that fact that made people look on the first Wingstop with a little skepticism back in 1994, but as soon as one of those mouthwatering, underappreciated pieces of tender, poultry goodness hit the tongue of an inquisitive guest, delivering the spicy snap of that original hot-wing sauce, the guest was sold. By 1997, this Dallas, TX restaurant had sold so many locals on the concept of the hot wing, that it was time to expand and take the franchise world by storm. Wherever the name has travelled since, taking its expanding menu of fresh chicken coated in tasty sauces, it was nearly an overnight success, turning this delicious Texas snack into a nation-renowned meal.

Wingstop Today
Only 11 short years since the birth of the first Wingstop franchises, the business has exploded into a market giant that no one expected from a plate of simple little chicken wings. Boasting 600 locations in 32 states, either in operation or under development, this business has been recognized as the #1 franchise business in the wing sub-industry by Entrepreneur Magazine and is the fifth fastest-growing of all franchises according to the same source. And franchise professionals aren’t the only ones to tout this now beloved establishment. Troy Aikman, the famous 1990s Dallas Cowboys quarterback turned sportscaster, proudly supports Wingstop as their "#1 fan," and he isn’t alone. The general public, from coast to coast, enjoys this wing franchise so much, that the business recently passed a huge milestone, having "sauced and tossed" their one-billionth hot wing. That is a lot of chicken, and a lot of people eating it.

Daily Life: "Saucing and Tossing"
For the Wingstop franchisee, everything starts with training. With one of the most comprehensive training systems among food franchises, this business puts new franchisees through a total of six weeks of education and practice before they’re allowed to open a location under the Wingstop name.

Beginning with four weeks of in-class education at the Dallas, TX headquarters, franchisees and their general managers are given all the theoretical tools necessary to make the most of their franchise opportunity. But to make sure that everything learned in the classroom has the intended effect, classroom graduates are then tossed into the training store and given the chance to play owner and manager with an experienced staff and an established client base. After successfully navigating four days of that, they are then moved to their own restaurant location to complete up to five days of supervised pre-opening practice before finally being rewarded with the ultimate goal of a successful grand opening.

Of course, once the new Wingstop franchise is officially up and running, the corporate team doesn’t simply sit back and let everything go as it may. The franchisee continues to benefit from ongoing support from central staff and a continuing Wingstop education that centers around the annual convention, where training seminars are offered on a variety of topics that different franchisees may find especially applicable to their locations.

As for the operation of the restaurants themselves, each day is both a challenge and a joy as hundreds of hungry clients pass through the doors in search of a delectable plate of sauced-up chicken wings. And though it’s the very thing that the business is founded on, it’s precisely that plate of chicken that, according to Wingstop Development Support Coordinator Patrick Lopez, can be the trickiest part of the operation. "We only use fresh chicken in our units," Lopez comments. "So the biggest challenge in our system is to get the freshest chicken in and the freshest chicken out to our guests."

But whatever challenge their might be for the staff, it doesn’t seem to stop them behind the counter, and it certainly doesn’t stop customer enjoyment of the food in front of the counter. Guests can’t get enough of the nine signature sauces that have put Wingstop on the map: regular, mild, original hot, cajun, hickory smoked BBQ, lemon pepper, garlic parmesan, Hawaiian, and Teriyaki, each of which has developed a strong following from faithful fans. And whether those sauces are spread across bone-in pieces or boneless strips, these wings are not to be confused with fast food, because they’re always made with care and made-to-order.

Despite the solid training, strong business, and sturdy product, Lopez makes sure to mention that it is still a business like any other, and there are hard days to look out for: "the biggest surprises (with) owning a franchise have to be in the day to day operations. You need to be ready for surprises because they will appear."

There are practical steps that a franchisee can take to lighten that load though. "The best advice I could give and will continue to give," Lopez continues, "is to learn patience. Do not try and tackle everything at once. If you do, you’re asking for it. Also, always have a list of things to do, if you don’t have an ongoing list in this business you’re probably not doing everything you should." And as a final note that everyone should appreciate, he advises, "make sure that you get rest and disengage when possible."

Life is a constant ebb and flow in any business, and restaurants see that as much, if not more than anyone. But Wingstop has proven to be able to roll with those punches in both the day-to-day operations and at the corporate level. Business opportunities come and go, but one with lasting power is a good choice for an investment, and Wingstop certainly does have that power.