How Many Wings Could You Buy for the Price of One Wingstop Franchise and Other Interesting Facts Five fun facts about one of Entrepreneur's favorite franchises.
By Matthew McCreary •
Odds are, you're at least a little familiar with Wingstop. As of the start of 2017, there were more than 1,000 of the chicken wing restaurants across the globe, with over 900 of them located in the U.S. So, even if you haven't decided on whether you prefer the Mango Habanero or Hawaiian flavor, or haven't had the chance to try one of its wings, you've probably at least heard of the chain.
But knowing a menu or a reputation is much different from actually understanding the business behind the brand.
Here, we break down important factors, along with some fun trivia about Wingstop.
Start the slideshow to learn more about the no. 8 business from the Entrepreneur Franchise 500.
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Cost
Depending on your location and particular specifications, a Wingstop can run you anywhere between $346,775 and $733,249. That's less than you'd need for other restuarants -- a McDonald's or Dairy Queen will run you at least seven figures -- but, obviously, it's still a hefty price tag. Given that you can buy 100 wings for $84.99, you could buy 408,018 to 862,747 wings for the same price.
That's a lot of wings.
Of course, those wings won't continue to make you more money after you buy them, which represents a rather substantial difference between the two investments.Here's a more detailed breakdown on where your money is actually going.
Training
You can't just buy a Wingstop and then open it the next day: You're going to need training to effectively run the restaurant. Specifically, Wingstop requires that franchisees do 48 hours of training at the Wingstop headquarters in Dallas and another 139 hours of onsite training.
After that, the most important training you'll do is training your employees -- you'll need 8 to 10 to run the business.
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Trend
Wingstop is a relatively new restaurant franchise, which puts it in a sweet spot for investment. It isn't so widespread that there is one on every corner, but it has still built a nationally recognized brand.
At the start of 2017, there were 901 U.S.-based franchises to go along with 21 company-owned locations. Those numbers are way up from 2007, when there were just 299 and nine, respectively.
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Location
Wingstop is specific about the franchising opportunites currently available in the U.S., so the best way to check whether the location might be a fit for you is just by looking at the available markets here. Generally, though, the chicken wing chain is focused on states east of the Rocky Mountains, from New York to Michigan, Kentucky and Florida.
Related: 24 Top-Ranked, Affordable Franchises You Can Buy for $25,000 or Less
Support
One of the biggest advantages of investing in a franchise, rather than starting a new company, is the support you can receive from the brand, your fellow franchisees and more. For Wingstop, that support includes helping you find the real estate, signing a contractor for construction and helping with marketing.
That marketing includes a newsletter, regional and national media, a grand opening and co-op advertising.
To learn more about the Wingstop support or to learn more about what it means to invest in a Wingstop franchise, you can visit the company's franchise support page here.
Related: Quiz: How Much Do You Really Know About McDonald's?
