Wingstop Launches Virtual Restaurant “Thighstop” Due to Chicken Wing Shortage

Wingstop has decided to branch out to other parts of the chicken and is now debuting its "Thighstop" concept.

As the popular chicken wing chain is bracing for an expected shortage in chicken wings, it is rolling out chicken thighs in an exclusive partnership with DoorDash, offering the virtual "Thighstop" restaurant offerings at over 1,400 Wingstop locations.

The Wingstop locations in Lafayette and New Iberia are amongst the restaurants that will now offer bone-in thighs and boneless thighs in addition to the current Wingstop favorites. Like Wingstop, the Thighstop virtual restaurant will offer the same 11 Wingstop signature flavors.

Local Wingstop franchisee Rohan Dawra says the Thighstop product is "excellent" and he's excited to see how the market reacts.

WingStop is pivoting from wings due to the shortage and I feel it’s an interesting strategy, the product is excellent, time will tell if it’s a success!

Wingstop CEO Charlie Morrison says the Thighstop concept is one that his company has explored for quite some time now.

Morrison used the word "volatile" to describe the current state of chicken wings—which could prove to be a good pivot for Wingstop as thighs are not only less expensive, but would allow the Texas-based chain to purchase whole chickens to utilize the breast, wings, and thighs.

Wingstop pioneered the concept of chicken wings as a center-of-the-plate item. Although Thighstop is in its infancy, we've been exploring bone-in and boneless thighs as center-of-the-plate options for some time now as a way to offer fans new ways to enjoy Wingstop's bold, distinctive and craveable flavors.

Rick Ross, the owner of over a dozen Wingstop franchise locations, has also been a high-profile brand ambassador for the wing restaurant and he dropped a visual for the launch of the new Thighstop concept.

Although Wingstop CEO Charlie Morrison acknowledges that the market for thighs is nowhere near the market for white meat chicken parts, he believes their flavors will still carry the load, so we'll see how people react.

You can check out the Thighstop website here for more details.