Wingstop Appoints Chief Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President of People

DALLAS, Nov. 22, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) today announced the appointment of Christina Clarke as Chief Marketing Officer, previously interim Chief Marketing Officer of Wingstop, and Donnie Upshaw as Senior Vice President of People, previously Vice President of Human Resources.  

"Cultivating and promoting talent within our organization is a cornerstone of the path toward long-term growth and success at Wingstop,” said Charlie Morrison, Wingstop Chairman and CEO. “Christina has contributed tremendously to our marketing strategy, and Donnie’s extensive expertise in talent management has already proved fruitful to our growing talent base. Both Christina and Donnie embody the leadership qualities that will continue to help us execute against our growth strategy.”

Since joining Wingstop in 2018, Christina has made significant contributions to Wingstop’s national advertising strategy. In Feb. 2019, Christina helped spearhead the brand’s new campaign, Where Flavor Gets Its Wings. This campaign, coupled with the increased rollout of delivery and the expansion of digital sales mix, has contributed to domestic same store sales growth of 10.7% through the first three quarters of 2019.

Donnie joined Wingstop in 2018 and has made a tremendous impact on the organization by refining the talent management framework and helping build a culture and organization that positions Wingstop for its next phase of industry-leading growth. As SVP of People, Donnie will continue building the company’s talent and culture by anchoring the people strategy to the organization’s goal of becoming a top 10 global restaurant brand.

About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 1,300 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 2018, Wingstop’s system-wide sales increased 16% year-over-year to $1.3 billion, marking the 15th consecutive year of same store sales growth as well as 290% 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 brand partners who account for more than 98% of Wingstop’s total restaurant count of 1,340 as of September 28, 2019. In February 2019, the Company launched its new tagline and creative campaign “Where Flavor Gets Its Wings” and continued the rollout of national delivery. Wingstop generates more than 35% of sales via digital channels including Wingstop.com, the Wingstop app, and Wingbot™, Wingstop’s social ordering platform available on Facebook Messenger, Twitter, SMS text and Amazon Alexa. 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.

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