Dallas-based restaurant company Wingstop is trialling a new AI-based kitchen operating platform to expedite service and simplify tasks for back-of-house staff.
The news comes as part of its earnings report released for the fourth quarter ending 28 December 2024.
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Wingstop CEO and president Michael Skipworth revealed that 30 restaurants have been trialling the platform, some for more than a year, and that it is planned to expand its use during 2025.
The introduction of this platform is expected to significantly reduce quote times [the amount of time it takes to prepare a customer’s online order for takeout or delivery] and meet expectations for swift service.
Skipworth was quoted by Nations Restaurant News as saying that the new platform will “allow us to have a meaningful reduction in our quote times and deliver on guests’ expectations around speed of service on a consistent basis.”
He also highlighted the potential for the platform to generate more demand and improve employee productivity.
Skipworth went on: “We actually believe this is going to fundamentally change our kitchen operations and, while doing this, we think we’re going to be able to further enhance the quality that Wingstop is known for.”
He stated that the AI platform “was built specifically for Wingstop”, continuing: “It isn’t just a digitisation of a kitchen ticket and an order workflow, but it’s leveraging visual cues and gamification to engage the team members.
“This is a really exciting opportunity to speed up the competency for new team members and also provides role clarity, and ultimately, we think it’s going to increase the productivity of our team members.”
Skipworth believes that by enhancing service speed, Wingstop can encourage customers to visit more frequently.
The new system includes consumer-facing ready screens, which aim to keep guests informed about their order status and manage their expectations effectively.
Wingstop has 2,563 restaurants open systemwide, 2,204 of them in the US. 2,154 are franchised and 50 company-owned. 359 franchised restaurants are located in international markets and US territories.
The company reported net income of $26.7m in Q4 204 as compared to $18.8m for the same period of 2024.
Total revenue for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2024 increased to $161.8m.
