STOP, I don't like WingStop.

Put the Wingstop DOWN.

If you don't already know, Wingstop is a fast food chain that has quickly taken over Singapore. With humble American roots, their chicken wings of various flavours have dominated the taste buds of young Singaporeans and earned itself a spot in the hall of fast food staples. I definitely agree with its name, but it could use some editing- wingstop? More like wing-can-we-stop-eating-here.

One could argue that it’s childish to have such vehement opinions on a fast food chain, and they’d definitely be right, but I’m sick of the propaganda. The judgemental stares I get from peers when I voice my opinions during dinner time, the same spirited spiel I have to go on to justify my distaste…so now I’m going to uncover Wingstop for what it truly is.

I’m going to unpack Wingstop’s history, unpack Wingstop's history and throw a few suggestions on why I think this mediocre chicken has managed to capture the taste buds of so many people.

The land of the free, or 50 dollar chicken wings.

Wingstop originated in Garland, Texas. It started 27 years ago in 1997, by founder Antonio Swad, who saw an opportunity for a wings-focused restaurant after seeing the high demand of wings as more than a side by giving out wing-samples in his pizza restaurant.

The first Wingstop was only open from 4pm to midnight, and they wouldn’t open for lunch hours till 8 years later in 2005. It grew exponentially since then, gaining popularity in America for consistent quality and a variety of flavours. By 2002, they had already sold 2 million wings.

Their logo also contributed to their branding and popularity, an aviation themed badge (because of their focus on WINGS..haha..) that was edited to its signature green in 2014. The bright green is said to symbolise a feeling of freshness and invitation, of success and growth. Clearly, this colour palette seems to have worked well for them so far.

In 2013, Wingstop flew to Singapore and has since stubbornly climbed (or clucked) its way into the hearts and stomachs of Singaporeans. It has gained massive popularity since 2013, now with 11 outlets, 2 ghost kitchens and counting.  It’s so popular in fact, that a woman travelled all the way to Singapore from KL just to try it.  Her dedication is admirable, but in my opinion, wasted. 

“How can you not like Wingstop? You’re such a hater”

From the beginning of time, people have banded together over common causes. Some examples can include protests for human rights, screaming in a concert venue with thousands of other fans, and bullying me. For not liking Wingstop.

As if uniting against a common enemy, friends who aren’t even friends with each other have come together to stand against me and my controversial opinion, going out of their way to ensure all we eat together are these wretched wings. You just haven’t tried the right flavours, they say. You can’t take it away, you have to eat it while it’s hot, they say. You’re just a hater, they say.

Before you roll your eyes, call me dramatic, and agree with the “them”, hear me out.

Firstly, it’s tough to eat.

By tough I don’t mean the messiness, but rather the actual chicken itself. It’s dry, or at least at the 3 outlets I’ve been to have served me dry chicken. Despite being slathered in sauce and ranch, it still manages to drain my mouth of moisture and take only an eternity to chew.

The fries have also consistently been soggy or bland.

While I can agree to the ranch being a delectable sauce, it’s simply not worth buying such average chicken for ranch alone.  (Also, two times now I’ve ordered a 6 piece set with sauce only to open the box to find sauceless chicken, which is 2 times too many.)

Secondly, it’s too expensive.

A list of Wingstop's prices in 2024

A bundle for 3 people is $34.60 for boneless wings and $36.40 for classic ones. Even the minimum set of 6 wings is $11.30 and $11.80 respectively. In contrast, a 6 piece set at 4Fingers is $9.50, and Wings Plus is $9.95.

To give credit where credit is due, it’s not exorbitantly expensive, and there are cheaper options such as student deals. However, when there exist alternatives at cheaper prices and comparable or better taste, I’d rather spend my money elsewhere.

Lastly, The wait times are too long.

Fast food, at the very least, should do what the name implies right? Wingstop begs to differ, with perhaps the longest consistent wait times out of any fast food chain I’ve seen. A consistent complaint amongst netizens, we can see delivery riders complain about wait times for their orders extending to over an hour.

Even overseas outlets such as the ones in America seem to face this problem. The linked reddit post features a poll on how long Wingstop orders take, with the poster being from Singapore and lamenting that “no matter what outlet we order from, it always takes over an hour.”  The majority voted for 20-30 minutes, which is not nearly as bad as an hour, but considering its status as a fast food chain, is still quite egregious in my book.

In defence of Wingstop

I can sit here and complain about Wingstop all I want, but the fact of the matter doesn’t change: that it’s insanely popular, and will continue to be despite my disapproval. To understand this, I decided to interview some people to gain insights as to why they like the polarising chicken so much.

My first interviewee commented that she enjoyed the wide range of flavours available, as well as the soda machines at Wingstop since they offer a wider variety of soda flavours than other fast food chains in Singapore (namely, Vanilla Sprite, which I can’t honestly blame her for going all the way to a Wingstop just to have.)

She also mentioned that since Wingstop is halal certified in Singapore, she could easily eat there with her Muslim friends.

This could offer an insight as to why Wingstop is so popular in Singapore. The halal market was priced at $1.1B dollars in 2022, with over 9% of the total consumer spending in Singapore being spent on halal products and services.

While you might assume that most if not all fast food chains in Singapore would be halal-certified, this is actually untrue. Many popular franchises such as Mos Burger and Carl’s Jr. actually still remain uncertified. In contrast, halal-certified fast food chains such as Wingstop would be open to the entire market of Singaporeans who eat chicken, making it an easily accessible place for people to gather and eat.

Their variety of flavours is also something to commend- particularly their homage to local flavours such as the ‘Kecap Manis’ flavour, which my second interviewee touted as his favourite flavour. Many fast food brands have attempted to cater to Singaporean consumers by using local flavours; take for example Mcdonald’s Satay burgers, Pulut Hitam pie and Teh C frappe, or KFC’s Curry Crunch Chicken, all met with varying degrees of success.

Some can argue that incorporating local flavours into these mostly American-born fast foods often leads to underwhelming results, however many in Singapore generally seem to agree that Wingstop’s local flavours are enjoyable rather than detestable. While I don’t find any of their flavours delightful,their range of other flavours cover all the taste preferences, from spicy to sour and sweet. This has perhaps contributed to its popularity, since there’s a little something for all who indulge.

My third interviewee also mentioned the ease of sharing as one of the reasons she gravitates towards it. The ability to pick multiple flavours in the part boxes work in tandem with my earlier point to make it a staple choice for gatherings and parties, since they’re easy to pass around and snack on with friends.

Food has, and will always be a social event. People can bond over something as simple as a lunch after class, or a chicken wing at a party. It is thus no surprise that a food so easy to share gained popularity so quickly, especially amongst younger Singaporeans who would be more likely to hold social gatherings or parties more often.

To Wingstop or not to Wingstop? That is the question

While I won’t be patronising the mango habanero or lemon pepper wings anytime soon, perhaps this article has brought some justice for Wingstop lovers and haters alike. Every star has its equal share of naysayers and loyal fans, and while ragging on each other over silly little things like fast food preferences is all in good fun, let us remember not to be swayed simply by public opinion or comments from peers. I hope that my very, very dramatic article about not liking Wingstop reminds us that it’s okay to not like something just because it’s popular, because what’s the fun in that?  

Lastly, to my fellow Wingstop haters: wait a few years, I’ll come up with a rival fast food chain called StopWing, where customers pay money to have chicken wings taken from them and then they get doused in various sauces.