Wingstop Appoints Chief Technology Officer

Rhea-AI Summary

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) has appointed Stacy Peterson Androes as Chief Technology Officer. She previously served in various technology roles, contributing to Wingstop's robust digital strategy. During her tenure, the brand achieved significant domestic same-store sales growth of 9.9% in Q1 2020 and over 33% in April. Digital orders surged to nearly 65% of total sales as Wingstop adapted to COVID-19 challenges. Stacy aims to enhance digital transactions domestically and internationally as the company strives to digitize 100% of its transactions.

Positive

• Appointment of Stacy Peterson Androes as Chief Technology Officer, expected to enhance digital strategy.
• Domestic same-store sales growth of 9.9% in Q1 2020 and over 33% in April.
• Digital orders accounted for nearly 65% of total sales, emphasizing strong digital engagement.

Negative

• None.

DALLAS, May 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) today announced the appointment of Stacy Peterson Androes as Chief Technology Officer. Prior to her brief departure in 2019, Stacy served the brand in several technology-focused roles, most recently as Chief Experience Officer, and enabled Wingstop to be well-positioned for strong performance during COVID-19 via a solid tech stack and strategic digital partnerships including DoorDash.

Stacy joined Wingstop in September 2013 and immediately solidified the brand’s technology strategy, which set the stage for Wingstop to be an industry leader in digital sales. After implementing a consistent point-of-sale platform, she led innovations such as social ordering via Twitter and Facebook Messenger as well as SMS text ordering via Wingbot, to expand how guests could order online. In 2017, Stacy was promoted to a new, tailored role as Chief Experience Officer and was responsible for leveraging guest feedback and insights in relation to consumer-facing technologies. Based on these insights, she led her team to relaunch Wingstop’s website and app, which garnered an average 4.9-star rating on the App Store, to improve the ordering experience and seamlessly integrate with third-party delivery.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Stacy back to Wingstop,” Chairman and CEO Charlie Morrison said. “Stacy laid the digital foundation for the incredible growth we’ve experienced over the past five years and is widely-recognized in the industry as being a digital pioneer. Under Stacy’s leadership, we will continue innovating in the tech space and capitalize on the incredible momentum we’ve seen recently as a result of our digital investments.”

As Chief Technology Officer, Stacy will fortify digital investments domestically and expand the strategy to international markets as the brand continues to scale and grow. In line with Wingstop’s goal of digitizing 100% of transactions, she’ll continue innovating around existing digital platforms while also identifying additional opportunities to tap into fan passion points through consumer insights and trends.

“I’m incredibly excited to return to Wingstop and play a role in achieving the vision to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand,” Stacy said. “While I’m proud of the work we accomplished to put digital and delivery in place originally, the next chapter is even more exciting as we strive to digitize every transaction.”

Stacy’s appointment follows Wingstop’s release of first quarter and April 2020 results, noting 9.9% domestic same-store sales growth for the first quarter and more than 33% domestic same-store sales growth for the month of April. Since the closure of its dining rooms on March 16, 2020, Wingstop announced digital orders accounted for nearly 65% of total sales, with app installs up approximately 80%.  

About Wingstop

Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises over 1,400 locations worldwide. The Wing Experts are dedicated to Serving the World Flavor through an unparalleled guest experience and offering of classic wings, boneless wings and tenders, always cooked to order and hand-sauced-and-tossed in fans’ choice of 11 bold, distinctive flavors. Wingstop’s menu also features signature sides including fresh-cut, seasoned fries and freshly-made ranch and bleu cheese dips.

In 2019, Wingstop’s system-wide sales increased 20.1% year-over-year to $1.5 billion, marking the 16th consecutive year of same store sales growth, and Wingstop achieved over 400% shareholder return since its 2015 initial public offering. With a vision of becoming a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand, its system is comprised of independent franchisees, or brand partners, who account for more than 98% of Wingstop’s total restaurant count of 1,413 as of March 28, 2020. In February 2019, the Company launched its new tagline and creative campaign “Where Flavor Gets Its Wings” and continued the rollout of national delivery. As of March 28, 2020, Wingstop generated 47% of sales via digital channels including Wingstop.com and the Wingstop app. The Company has been ranked on Franchise Business Review’s “Top 30 Food and Beverage Franchises” (2019), Fast Casual’s “Movers & Shakers” (2019), QSR Magazine’s “The Industry’s 9 Best Franchise Deals” (2019) and “The QSR Top 50” (2019) for limited-service restaurants in the U.S.

For more information visit www.wingstop.com or www.wingstop.com/own-a-wingstop and follow @Wingstop on Twitter and Instagram and at Facebook.com/Wingstop. Learn more about Wingstop’s involvement in its local communities at www.wingstopcharities.org. 

Media Contact
Megan Sprague
972-331-9155
MSprague@wingstop.com

Investor Contact
Ted McHugh and Lauren Tarola
917-530-7792
WingstopFinComm@edible-inc.com

FAQ

What changes did Wingstop announce in May 2020?

Wingstop appointed Stacy Peterson Androes as Chief Technology Officer to enhance its technology strategy.

What are the recent sales figures reported by Wingstop?

Wingstop reported 9.9% same-store sales growth for Q1 2020 and over 33% growth for April 2020.

What percentage of Wingstop's sales were digital during the pandemic?

Digital orders accounted for nearly 65% of total sales after the closure of dining rooms on March 16, 2020.

What are Stacy Peterson Androes' goals as the new CTO?

Stacy aims to fortify digital investments and digitize 100% of transactions while expanding strategies internationally.