Dallas-based Wingstop launches cheeky side business, Thighstop

Wingstop’s new side company is focused on a “whole bird strategy,” says Chief Operating Officer Mahesh Sadarangani, where chicken thighs are just as important as poultry’s more popular part, the wing.

But can chicken thighs be sexy? They think so, and Thighstop is their answer.

Thighstop sells bone-in and boneless chicken thighs tossed in Wingstop’s 11 flavors. The company sells only a few other items: fries, Cajun fried corn, rolls and house-made sauces like ranch and honey mustard. Chicken thighs are sold exclusively online, then available via pickup at any of the 1,400 Wingstop shops, or via DoorDash delivery.

While Thighstop is obviously a sibling business to Wingstop, it’s a separate company, Sadarangani says. Count it as one of the many “invisible” kitchens that launched during the coronavirus pandemic, as a way to dish out hot food, fast.

“It’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek way to introduce a brand in an area where there are a bunch of…

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