Wingstop creates 1,000 UK jobs as sales and profit jump
Wingstop has created 1,000 jobs in the UK as its sales and profit surged before being taken over, it has been revealed.
The UK franchise of the US restaurant chain increased its headcount from 1,230 to 2,216 during the nine months to the end of 2024, new accounts filed with Companies House show.
Its turnover jumped over the same period from £84.6m to £125m while its pre-tax profit rose from £3.5m to £13.1m.
During the year Wingstop opened 57 locations across the UK, up from 42 in the year to 31 March, 2024.
The business was founded by Tom Grogan, Saul Lewin, Herman Sahota and Paddy Bamford after acquiring the franchise for Wingstop in the UK in 2018.
The group opened its first store in Cambridge Circus, London, at the end of October that year.
Wingstop expanding across the UK
At the end of 2024, the UK franchise of Wingstop sold a majority stake to US private equity giant Sixth Street in a deal worth £400m.
While Sixth Street took a majority stake in the company, the restaurant’s three co-founders retained a minority stake.
At the start of 2025, Wingstop announced plans to open at least 20 new sites in the UK this year, creating hundreds of jobs.
A statement signed off by the board said: “The directors believe that there are strong growth prospects in the premium fast casual chicken market and intend to continue the roll out of Wingstop in the UK and from 2025 also in the Republic of Ireland.”
Wingstop added: “We have continued to invest in our operations team who are the heartbeat of our business, while building our a central operations team to support our sites.
“Despite the macro headwinds of inflationary pressures on utilities, labour and cost of sales, Lemon Pepper Holdings has been able to maintain and improve profitability across its estate.
“This was only possible because of the loyalty and dedication of our workforce.”
‘Transformation year’ for chain
Chief financial officer Paddy Bamford said: “2024 was a transformational year for Wingstop UK, delivering record results across every metric and further strengthening profitability.
“Since partnering with Sixth Street in January 2025, we’ve accelerated our UK roll-out programme and deepened our investment in people.
“We’re focussed on building the UK’s leading fast-casual restaurant brand, powered by the hard work and dedication of our people — the heartbeat of our business.
“I’m proud that Wingstop UK continues to be recognised as one of the Best Places to Work, and through initiatives like The Step Up Programme and Wingstop University we remain committed to creating opportunities for our people to grow.
“With trading in line with expectations, new store openings across the country, and 2025 shaping up to be another landmark year, we’re excited by the scale of expansion opportunities ahead while staying true to our focus on youth culture, our communities, and sustainable growth.”