Wingstop CEO announced last year that they would be testing bone-in chicken thighs in a few U.S. cities. He originally said:
"Well, we're not changing our name to Thighstop."
However, that's exactly what they did. Monday, Wingstop announced the launch of Thighstop. Thighstop, a "virtual restaurant", will be serving up crispy bone-in chicken thighs and breaded boneless thighs for delivery/take out. They will be offered at 1,400 Wingstop locations throughout the U.S. and will be offered in 11 different flavors.
Morrison had this to say on the venture:
"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."
The decision has ultimately become a cost-saving measure for the chicken chain, as the wholesale price of chicken wings went from roughly 98 cents to $3.22, according to Morrison. Moving forward, Wingstop will be purchasing whole chickens and will not only be offering wings and thighs, but also breasts (in the form of boneless wings).