US fast food giant Wingstop to launch flagship UK site

US-based fast food franchise Wingstop looks set to launch a flagship UK restaurant in London after its licence application was granted.

The chicken wing chain, which has more than 1,000 restaurants internationally, applied for a premises licence for a restaurant running from the basement to the second floor of 138-140 Shaftesbury Avenue, which used to be an HSBC bank, earlier this year.

The application has now been granted by Westminster Council, subject to various conditions.

The restaurant is expected to serve takeaway food on the ground floor, with restaurant seating upstairs on the first floor.

In addition to offering a menu of chicken wings in 12 different flavours and levels of heat, the restaurant will also be allowed to serve three different varieties of beer to accompany them, although alcohol sales are expected to make up only 2%-3% of total sales.

Last year, Wingstop announced plans to open 100 locations in the UK over the next 12 years.

The firm's president of international, Larry Kruguer, told CNBC: "We've been very, very focused on about 20 to 25 markets around the globe that we feel are high-chicken consumption markets, have a good competitive set and where we could really differentiate. One of those markets just happened to be in Europe."

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