Page 17 - February 2022

count, going beyond shopping malls and into new locations such as are integrated into the systems of brand partners and allows guests
street locations, suburban commercial centres and ghost kitchens. to order from various channels and maintain a seamless customer
Looking ahead, they are aiming to increase the size of the business by experience,” explains Boudet.
accelerating their new restaurant openings and in total doubling their Whilst discussing the future of quick service restaurants, Boudet says
unit count over the next two years. New markets on their radar are that after two years of disruption in the industry it is difficult to judge
located in Western Europe, the GCC and North Asia. what is around the corner. “My view would be that the adoption of
Predominantly a franchise business with less than five per cent of technology, highly personalised digital marketing, improved content
their sites company owned, the Wingstop model offers the best in class strategies, a focus on sustainability and an agile company philosophy
sales to investment ratios when compared to many other brands and against the backdrop of an ever more exacting customer will all be big
they are confident in this strategy moving forward. factors in the success for future QSR brands. We must be where the
“We are open to creative thinking in our franchise partnerships consumers are and want to be.”
depending on the growth potential of markets, dynamics and what The President of International believes that it has been the simplicity
the right approach is at the time of entry. We look for win-win of the brand’s business model, along with a combination of the brand’s
collaborations and are open to operating structures that enable the uniqueness in offering an immersive flavour experience, a simple menu
brand and our partners to succeed,” says Boudet. offer and low investment that have been key drivers of the success they
The customer experience is a more important factor than ever have to date.
before, and Wingstop believe they have created a unique offering “Some insights we’ve drawn from our experience has been building
that all started from having in place the right people and inculcating an agile culture at Wingstop, transforming the digital levers to align with
the company’s core values of being service-minded, authentic, consumer behaviour, creating a distinctive, relevant and easy brand
entrepreneurial and fun. Through these core values, Wingstop creates experience that allows consumers to ‘buy into’ the brand and join our
a thriving environment that makes each team member feel valued, ‘cause and purpose’,” he says.
knowing that they are part of something big and play a part in delivering As the interview draws to a close and the conversation moves
a great experience for guests. towards the future and the challenges the company may face, Boudet
Covid-19 accelerated the adoption of technology across the globe and says that the world and competition will continue to evolve and that
the first step in pushing the business towards a more digital future was to businesses can stay ahead of the curve by anticipating headwinds and
simplify its existing systems so that the company’s franchisees could be on that they would benefit from rethinking strategies.
the same page and trust that the investments would be sound. “We have exciting future ambitions for the Wingstop brand and
“For example, making sure the POS systems were integrated aspirations to become a top ten restaurant brand with over 6,000
with online ordering. Guests today can order via Wingstop-owned restaurants worldwide.”
channels as well as via delivery service providers. All of these orders www.wingstop.com

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