Operations

Wingstop's Q4 earnings: The good, the bad, the X-Factor

While 2025 saw the brand’s first same-store sales decline in over two decades, leadership is betting on a transformational operational shift and a new loyalty program to flip the script in 2026.

Photo: Wingstop

February 18, 2026 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

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Wingstop isn't just selling wings; it's building a tech-enabled "flavor empire." In its fiscal fourth quarter and full-year 2025 earnings call, President and CEO Michael Skipworth laid out a vision to scale the brand from 3,000 stores to a staggering 10,000 restaurants globally.

While 2025 saw the brand's first same-store sales decline in over two decades, leadership is betting on a "transformational" operational shift and a new loyalty program to flip the script in 2026.

"2025 (was) a year with a lot of uncertainty, our team remained focused on executing our strategies and have us on our path to scaling Wingstop into a top 10 global restaurant brand," Skipworth told investors.

The good news: building the growth engine

Skipworth focused on a variety of wins, including:

Record-breaking unit development: Wingstop opened a record 493 restaurants in 2025, a massive jump from 349 the year prior. With a committed pipeline of 2,300 future units, Skipworth projects mid-teens unit growth for 2026, far exceeding the brand's long-term 10% target.
Smart kitchens: Wingstop finished installing its "Smart Kitchen platform across all 2,500+ domestic restaurants in just 10 months. This AI-enabled tech replaces paper tickets to target a consistent 10-minute ticket time. Early data shows that restaurants hitting this benchmark see higher guest frequency and a boost in the lunch daypart.
International supercharging: The brand launched in six international markets in 2025, including a "House of Flavor" pop-up in Milan. With India on the roadmap for 2026, a market Skipworth believes can hold 1,000 units, the brand is proving its portability.

The bad news: Macro pressures and execution gaps

Although Skipworth celebrated the brand's wins, he admitted to losing a 22-Year Streak: For the first time in 22 years, Wingstop reported a decline in domestic same-store sales, which fell 5.8% in Q4 and 3% for the full year. Management attributed the dip to persistent macro pressures on lower-income consumers.

Other concerns included:

The delivery time lag: While the Smart Kitchen has improved internal speed, that efficiency isn't fully reaching the customer's door. Overall delivery times haven't yet matched the 15% reduction seen in restaurant operations, leading to ongoing negotiations with third-party delivery partners to bridge the "last mile."
A "choppy" start to 2026: Winter storms forced the closure of over 700 restaurants early this year, impacting Q1 trends. Additionally, unit openings for the first half of 2026 are expected to be "lighter" as brand partners pause to incorporate a new restaurant refresh design into their construction plans.

The 2026 X-Factor: Club Wingstop

The centerpiece of the 2026 strategy is the national launch of Club Wingstop, a formal loyalty program slated for the end of Q2. Pilot data shows 50% of active guests in test markets enrolled quickly, leading to a 7% jump in frequency.

"(It's) a powerful way to deepen engagement and further enhance an already compelling value proposition for our guests, Skipworth said. "A loyalty program that we believe will be differentiated, a loyalty program designed to strengthen the emotional connection to our brand through rewards, personalization, access to experiences, and a best-in-class digital ordering platform.

By combining the speed of the Smart Kitchen with personalized rewards, Wingstop expects to return to positive same-store sales growth this year, eyeing a long-term goal of $3 million AUVs.

"With strong fundamentals and a robust development pipeline, we are executing a clear plan to drive AUV expansion, protect industry-leading unit economics, and scale towards our long-term opportunity of more than 10,000 restaurants worldwide and our ambition to become a top 10 global restaurant brand," Skipworth said.

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About Cherryh Cansler

Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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