Wingstop UK has reported a 75% surge in sales and said it plans to open up to 30 new restaurants this year across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The hospitality chain said the expansion would build on its existing operations and forms part of its latest growth programme.
The company did not publish a full list of proposed locations, but said the new openings would be spread across the four markets. At the upper end of the target, the pace would equal roughly two to three new restaurants a month, a rate that would noticeably increase the size of its footprint over the coming year. The chain has already been adding new restaurants, and the latest announcement points to another year of concentrated expansion.
The 75% rise in sales is the headline financial indicator in the statement. The increase was announced alongside the opening programme and indicates that the company sees enough demand for its restaurants to support a faster rollout. The company did not provide a regional breakdown of where the growth came from or say how much of the increase was generated by newly opened restaurants.
Expanding across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland would give the brand a broader base beyond its existing locations. New sites could bring the chain closer to customers in areas that are currently under-served, while also increasing its presence in the takeaway and delivery market. The company did not say which towns or cities would be first in line or whether any of the new sites would be located in smaller towns rather than major urban centres.
For the hospitality sector, the plan is a signal that not all restaurant operators are pausing expansion. If the chain reaches the full 30 openings, it will need to secure suitable premises, manage construction and fit-out work, and recruit staff for each new site. It will also need to make sure its supply chain and kitchen operations can keep pace with a larger estate.
The company did not specify whether the 75% sales increase was calculated on a like-for-like basis or included contributions from restaurants that opened during the period. That distinction is often important when assessing the performance of an expanding chain, because new sites can add to total sales before they have fully matured. The company also left questions open about the expected cost of the programme, the number of jobs involved, and whether the restaurants would be company-owned, franchised or a combination of both.
The planned openings follow the sales surge and suggest that the company sees room for further growth in the UK and Irish markets. With up to 30 restaurants planned this year, the chain is making clear it intends to turn the current momentum into a significantly larger network. Further announcements are expected as the opening programme gets under way.
