Wingstop spreads its wings to the Netherlands this summer

The American chain, world-renowned for its chicken wings, is to open its first restaurant in the Netherlands, its local partner, the hospitality solutions group Vermaat, has confirmed.

The brand's new icon, the Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers. © Wingstop

"The first restaurant will open this summer," proudly announces Dutch partner Vermaat on its website. But two major details remain unknown at the time of writing: the actual launch date and the exact address of this first Wingstop with hollandaise sauce.

"Details regarding the location and opening arrangements will be announced shortly," confirms the specialist in tailor-made hospitality solutions, inviting fans of the winged brand to follow the new profiles on social media.

Vermaat even quotes a Wingstop spokesperson, without naming him, as saying that the Dutch public has been "eagerly awaiting this news for a long time." The group adds that the arrival on the Dutch market meets this demand and demonstrates why the chicken wings chain is known worldwide as "the flavor experts."

With a menu of around ten flavors, from the sweetest to the hottest, including classic chicken wings, boneless versions, and chicken burgers, the American company aims to join the top 10 global restaurant brands. This will require a rollout in Europe, where the brands previously spread to France and the United Kingdom.

Moreover, on the young Instagram account wingstopnl, a short teaser video shows a sandwich man in the British capital holding a sign above his head demanding to "bring Wingstop to Amsterdam." A playful clue or a deliberate red herring?

Wingstop was no longer a lightweight

Meanwhile, this entrepreneurial adventure, which began in 1994 in a small, buffalo-style chicken wing diner in the middle of the Texan village of Garland, is enjoying a major expansion. Wingstop now has more than 2,600 restaurants in a dozen major markets, making it the world's largest chicken wing-focused fast-food chain.

And the green brand with white fins has a long history of sustained commercial performance, with 21 consecutive years of sales growth and more than 300 new restaurant openings in 2024 alone. The counter already shows 126 additional establishments in the first three months of this year and the revised opening targets foresee more than 400 inaugurations over the full financial year.

“Wingstop is aggressively expanding its global presence through a proven, capital-efficient model,” note analysts at Zacks Investment Research. “In the first quarter of 2025, sales increased 15.7% to $1.3 billion, marking the highest quarterly figures in the company’s history.”

The company isn't just expanding its footprint; it's also rolling out more efficient restaurants. Wingstop is expanding its global presence while focusing on innovation in the kitchen, particularly through its smart kitchen, an AI-powered operations management solution designed to improve order consistency and reduce wait times, especially during peak hours.

"We started franchising in 1997. Today we are one of the fastest-growing concepts in North America, attracting prominent entrepreneurs and operators," claims Wingstop's new Dutch location . Twenty-three years ago, the chain sold its billionth chicken wing... When will it open in Belgium?