Chicken wing restaurant chain Wingstop plans to expand its presence in the Middle East, having recently reached a franchise agreement to add 100 restaurants in Saudi Arabia.
Speaking during a quarterly earnings call on August 4, Charlie Morrison, CEO of Wingstop, explained the company’s expansion plans.
“We will be expanding our global franchise footprint to Saudi Arabia,” Morrison said. “This is an exclusive development agreement for 100 new restaurants in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the next 10 years with the first sites already planned for the City of Riyadh in 2017.
“Our partner, Atheela Al Arabia, is a newly created entity funded and led by Fahad Bin-Hithleen and Fahad Al Muqbil.”
Morrison described the two as experienced business leaders in the restaurant and mall industries.
Other international markets served by Wingstop
While Wingstop is a U.S. company headquartered in Texas, it already has an international presence that Morrison said will only grow from here.
“We currently have more than 60 Wingstop locations outside of the U.S., and have already begun building a presence in the Middle East, first with the United Arab Emirates and now with Saudi Arabia. What both of these countries have in common is that they are vibrant markets with an affinity for American restaurant brands and proven interest in our products.”
Morrison added that with the 2015 hiring of Larry Kruguer, president of International at Wingstop, the chain will pursue “more agreements in more territories over time.”
In addition to currently operating restaurants in the U.S. and United Arab Emirates, Wingstop also has restaurants in Mexico, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, according to the Wingstop website.
