Wingstop is coming to Louisville, Ky. The rapidly expanding wing chain recently signed a four-store development agreement with longtime franchisee Eddie Williams to open its first restaurants in Kentucky beginning with a location at 4812 Dixie Highway, in Kingsford Plaza.
Williams currently owns a Wingstop in Decatur, Ill. and was one of the first franchise owners to open a Wingstop restaurant outside of Texas. After a family trip to Louisville last summer, Williams, his wife Renee and their three children made one of the biggest decisions of their lives – to leave Illinois and move to Kentucky.
“We got involved with Wingstop very early on,” he said. “We opened in Decatur almost 10 years ago and were actually the 39th store in the system. I love Illinois, but about a year ago we were offered tickets to the HullabaLOU Music Festival in Louisville. While we were in town we decided we’d stop by the local Wingstop, only to find out there was no Wingstop in Kentucky!”
After spending a few days sightseeing and visiting with local residents, Williams and his family felt completely at home in Louisville – so much they decided to uproot the family and move.
“We just fell in love with the city and the people,” he said. “It’s the gateway to the south. We loved the layout, the southern charm and that it’s a big city but with small town appeal. We knew Wingstop would do great here and started taking steps to develop the market.”
Less than a year later, Williams and his family are searching for a house, getting ready to open Kentucky’s first Wingstop and starting a new chapter in their lives. Reese, Eddie and Renee’s oldest son, will help manage the store while attending the University of Louisville.
“This is truly a family business,” Williams added. “When I walked into Wingstop for the first time 10 years ago, I was hooked. I loved the airplane motif and, of course, the wings and fries. Everything is made fresh in the store and the wings are cooked to order – that’s the Wingstop way and we know the Louisville community will love it.”
With a sole focus on cooked-to-order chicken, the Wingstop menu features traditional and boneless wings, strips and the chain’s newest offering – Glider sandwiches – all sauced and tossed in nine original flavors including Lemon Pepper and Garlic Parmesan. Homemade side dishes include fresh-cut fries with proprietary seasoning, Bourbon baked beans, cole slaw and potato salad.
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Richardson, Texas, Wingstop has more than 480 restaurants open across the United States and Mexico. With a sole focus on chicken wings, the Wingstop menu features nine wing flavors including Original Hot, Cajun, Atomic, Mild, Teriyaki, Lemon Pepper, Hawaiian, Garlic Parmesan, and Hickory Smoked BBQ. Wings are made fresh, cooked-to-order and customers can also choose from homemade side dishes including Wingstop’s award winning fresh-cut seasoned fries. Wingstop has experienced eight consecutive years of positive sales increases, was named a Top 10 Best Franchise Deal by QSR magazine, was crowned Wing King at the National Buffalo Wing Festival and has been voted ‘best wings’ in markets across the country. Troy Aikman, three-time Super Bowl champion and Hall of Fame quarterback, has served as the chain’s national spokesman since 2003 and recently joined the Wingstop Board of Directors. Wingstop was acquired in 2010 by Roark Capital Group, an Atlanta-based private equity firm that specializes in business and consumer service companies with attractive growth prospects and revenues ranging from $20 million to $1.0 billion. For more information visit wingstop.com.