How much does a Wingstop franchise cost?
Opening a Wingstop franchise takes a total initial investment of $310,400 to $1,048,500, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports actual median annual net sales for franchised wingstop restaurants of $1,890,866 across 2,116 outlets.
Wingstop franchises Wingstop Restaurants. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Wingstop franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $310,400 to $1,048,500. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Leasehold Improvements ($103,000 to $581,000), Audio/Visual System, Equipment and Small-wares ($59,400 to $179,300), and Point-of-Sale, Back of the House and Back Office Software and Hardware and Related Items ($28,000 to $40,000). Together they make up about 76% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $25,000, about 8.1% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $25,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $25,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Security Deposits2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $0 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Architectural/ | $7,300 | $30,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Professional Fees2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $2,500 | $7,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Leasehold Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $103,000 | $581,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Business and Operating Permits2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $4,500 | $8,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Décor, Furniture, and Fixtures Package2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $11,300 | $39,400 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Audio/ | $59,400 | $179,300 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Point-of-Sale, Back of the House and Back Office Software and Hardware and Related Items2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $28,000 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Signs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $4,400 | $31,800 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Opening Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $10,000 | $16,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Opening Publicity and Promotions2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $5,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 | $25,000 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 15 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14-15 | $310,400 | $1,048,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14-15 |
Source Wingstop, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14-15, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-16.
Item 19
What Wingstop franchisees actually report earning
actual median annual net sales for franchised Wingstop Restaurants
$1,890,866
Wingstop's 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the 52-week fiscal period - from December 29, 2024, through December 27, 2025 (the “2025 Measured Period”). Basis: Wingstop Restaurants that were open for operation during the entire 2025 Measured Period in the United States.
Sample size: 2,116 outlets. The FDD also reports actual average annual net sales for franchised wingstop restaurants of $2,007,626. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- 384 franchised Restaurants and 3 WRI Restaurants that opened during the 2025 Measured Period and therefore were not open for operation during the entire 2025 Measured Period were excluded.
- 10 franchised Restaurants that were temporarily closed for remodeling and repairs for multiple days in a row during the 2025 Measured Period were excluded.
- 4 franchised Restaurants and 1 WRI Restaurant that permanently closed during the 2025 Measured Period were excluded.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Wingstop outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Wingstop, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 57-58, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-16.
Item 20
How many Wingstop outlets there are, and how many closed
Wingstop ended 2025 with 2,529 franchised outlets and 57 company-owned outlets. In that year 384 franchised outlets opened and 9 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Wingstop opened 868 franchised outlets and 17 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 851, from 1,678 to 2,529 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 12 were bought back by the franchisor and 5 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 0.3% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 336.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,154 | 384 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 2,529 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 70 |
| 2024 | 1,877 | 281 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2,154 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 70 |
| 2023 | 1,678 | 203 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1,877 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 70 |
Source Wingstop, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 60-70, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-16.
Compare
How Wingstop compares with other Food & Beverage franchises
Measured against the 256 Food & Beverage franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Wingstop's estimated range is $679,450. It costs more to open than 59% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 0.3% for Wingstop. That is lower than 96% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Wingstop's franchised system grew 51%. The typical Food & Beverage franchise here grew 4.4%.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Wingstop is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Food & Beverage franchise side by side.
Alert me when Wingstop files a new FDD
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