Wingstop Restaurants, Inc. today announced the appointment of Bill Engen as Chief Operating Officer effective immediately.
“Bill is a dynamic leader who brings a wealth of operations and management expertise to Wingstop,” said Charlie Morrison, Wingstop President and CEO. “We’re opening restaurants at record pace both in the U.S. and abroad, and Bill will be a tremendous asset to our team and to our franchisees as we continue to drive dramatic growth in both restaurant count and sales.”
Engen takes over for Bill Knight, who is retiring after leading the Wingstop Operations team for 11 years. “Bill Knight’s leadership helped take Wingstop from a regional brand to a national player,” said Morrison. “He leaves a tremendous mark on this brand.”
Engen brings more than 15 years of leadership and management experience to his new post, including executive management positions with 7-Eleven, Inc. and Circuit City, Inc.
Most recently Engen served as Senior Vice President, East Operations and Division Vice President at 7-Eleven, Inc., directing operations for more than 4,000 franchised locations representing half of all domestics business with $7 billion in annual merchandise sales.
Prior to 7-Eleven, Engen spent a decade at Circuit City Stores, Inc. where he held several executive positions including Vice President of Retail Operations and oversaw the retail giant’s operations for more than 700 locations.
“Wingstop is well positioned to further establish itself as one of the dominant brands in the fast casual segment and I am incredibly excited to join the team,” Engen said.
Engen joins Wingstop during a year of record-setting new restaurant openings and the 11th consecutive year of same store sales growth.
With a sole focus on cooked-to-order chicken, the Wingstop menu features traditional and boneless wings as well as strips all sauced and tossed in 11 original flavors including fan favorites Mango Habanero, Garlic Parmesan and Original Hot. Sides are made fresh daily including hand-cut seasoned fries, made from #1 Idaho potatoes.
To locate the nearest Wingstop or for additional information on franchise opportunities, visit www.Wingstop.com.
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Wingstop has more than 670 restaurants open across the United States, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, with locations coming soon to the United Arab Emirates. The Wing Experts menu features classic and boneless wings with 11 bold, distinctive flavors including Original Hot, Cajun, Atomic, Mild, Teriyaki, Lemon Pepper, Hawaiian, Garlic Parmesan, Hickory Smoked BBQ, Louisiana Rub and Mango Habanero. Wingstop’s wings are always cooked to order, sauced and tossed and served with a variety of house-made sides including Wingstop’s world famous hand-cut seasoned fries. Wingstop has experienced 11 consecutive years of positive sales increases, was named a 2014 Best Franchise Deal by QSR magazine, was ranked the #3 Top Growth Chain by Nation’s Restaurant News and has been voted “best wings” in markets across the country. Wingstop is owned by affiliates of Roark Capital Group, an Atlanta-based private equity firm that specializes in business and consumer service companies with attractive growth prospects and revenues ranging from $20 million to over $3 billion. For more information visit www.wingstop.com or www.wingstopfranchise.com. Become a fan of Wingstop by visiting facebook.com/Wingstop or twitter.com/wingstop.
