As of 2021, there are 1510 Wingstop locations in the US alone. By the looks of it, Wingstop isn’t going to stop any time soon. This North American chicken wing chain has been serving top-notch wings and insane voodoo fries with cajun seasoning since 1994.
Unlike the majority of its competitors, Wingstop’s sauces aren’t sickly sweet or overwhelmingly salty. Almost all of their flavors are beautifully balanced and their All-in Bundle deal for $19.99 is too sweet a deal to miss.
Care for some interesting trivia facts about Wingstop? You’ve come to the right place. Below I have answered the 10 most commonly asked questions about Wingstop. Ready to expand your random knowledge horizon? Let’s get started:
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10 Most Frequently Asked Questions about Wingstop
1. Is Wingstop owned by Pizza Hut?
Ans. No. Wingstop is currently owned by Roark Capital Group. Our beloved aviation-themed wing chain was founded (in 1994) by businessperson Antonio Swad who also happens to be the founder of Pizza Patron. It was acquired by Gemini Investors in 2003 who sold it to Roark Capital in 2010.
Wingstop opened its first location in 1997 and ended up selling 1 billion wings by 2002. That’s quite a lot of wings! In 2010, Wingstop found its footing in the international market when it opened its first restaurant in Mexico. It currently has several restaurants in 12 countries.
2. Why is Wingstop so expensive?
Ans. Blame Covid-19 for it. The pandemic has severely affected poultry production and distribution which has inevitably led to chicken wing shortages. Shortage equals disrupted supply which leads to surge pricing. Still, compared to B-dubs and some other popular wing chains in the US, Wingstop is way cheaper.
Want chicken wings for cheap? Aim for Mondays and Tuesdays which are 60-cent wing days at Wingstop. In 2020, they also introduced the All-In Bundle deal for $19.99 which contains 16 boneless wings, 6 tenders, large fries along with 3 dips.
You can choose up to 4 wing flavors and the portion is enough for 3-4 normally famished folks (or just one if you have the appetite of an OP Norse god). I also find their lunch combos decently priced and filling.
That being said, Wingstop or any large chain wings are definitely overpriced compared to those numerous hole-in-wall wing spots and Chinese take-outs.
3. Does Wingstop have vegan wings?
Ans. The popularity of a plant-based diet has witnessed massive growth in the last few years.
Major fast-food chains like Burger King, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Dairy Queen have included vegan options on their menu to catch up with the increasing demand. Heck, even McDonald’s now has a vegan burger shrewdly named McPlant.
What about Wingstop? Well, this giant chicken wing, unfortunately, doesn’t serve any plant-based meat product yet. So, if you are looking for vegan chicken wings, check out places like Big Mood in NYC, Vegan International Co. in Florida, or The Wing Bar in Atlanta instead.
However, there are a few non-wing vegan options at Wingstop worth trying e.g cajun fried corn, seasoned fries, and veggie. You might want to avoid the dips as all of them contain dairy.
4. Are Wingstop wings gluten-free?
Ans. Craving some delicious Wingstop wings but worried about gluten allergy? The good news is that the traditional bone-in wings of Wingstop are non-breaded, hence gluten-free.
However, their other varieties are breaded, so avoid them if you are gluten intolerant. There’s one caveat, though. Wingstop’s website mentions that both their breaded and non-breaded items are fried in the same oil.
However, they do filter the oil to minimize the risk of contamination. Some of their outlets may use a separate fryer for traditional wings.
If you have your doubts, it’s best to call the restaurant or ask your server if the wings are breaded before ordering. I should also mention that all Wingstop sauces except the blue cheese and Hawaiian dips are gluten-free.
5. Does Wingstop fry their wings?
Ans. Wingstop wings and tenders are deep-fried in soybean/rapeseed blended oil. If you are trying to avoid greasy food at all costs or have a soy allergy, Wingstop is not the place to be. Mind you that their ranch dip and blue cheese dip also contain soy.
6. Does Wingstop sell their sauces?
Ans. As a matter of, they do sell small cups of their legendary sauces. I’m a sucker for their mango habanero sauce and would buy some every time I’m at WS.
About once a month, I like to put my chef hat on and bake chicken wings for my whole family, toss them in that delicious sauce and wash them down with soda. I hope they start selling their sauces by the bottle soon!
7. Are Wingstop wings breaded?
Ans. All Wingstop wings and tenders are breaded except their classic jumbo bone-in wings. However, since both breaded and non-breaded wings are fried in the same oil, make sure to call the restaurant to confirm whether the wings are breaded or not.
If you are gluten intolerant, I’d advise you to avoid the Hawaiian and blue cheese dip as they aren’t gluten-free.
8. Is Wingstop keto?
Ans. If you are on a ketogenic genic, good news for you. Most Wingstop wings are keto-friendly. Since the wing sauces are bound to contain some amount of carbs, I’d suggest going with dry rub wings like lemon pepper, cajun, garlic parm, or Louisiana rub with a side of ranch.
9. Does Wingstop have good wings?
Ans. To me and millions of others who have probably eaten billions of wings from Wingstop? Big but, do they make the best chicken wings in the U.S? Not really.
If you like your wings explosively spicy, you will probably tip the scale in favor of B-dubs or thousand of hole-in-the-wall wing spots around the country. Wingstop wings are generally delicious and decently priced which makes them my go-to. But I have had better-tasting wings in my life for sure.
10. Are there any new Wingstop flavors?
Ans. On Feb 14, 2021, Wingstop launched three new flavors – lemon garlic, hot lemon, and hickory smoked Bayou BBQ. They were available till June 21.
Bottomline
Now that you have been endowed with a bunch of interesting and important Wingstop facts, make a trip to the store, order away, or buy some sauce and make your own healthy version of Wingstop wings at home!
