Think Twice About Ordering Takeout From This Wing Chain — Customers Say It's Not Worth It

Gone are the days of the hunter-gatherer, with today's equivalent involving a two-minute scroll and a congratulatory order confirmation. However, the simplicity with which we now secure a meal can sometimes lead to food delivery nightmares. Fast food chains that can't consistently offer a satisfactory experience get put in the town square pillory of the internet. Wingstop is
one such establishment, which seems to have become one of those chains you might want to reconsider getting takeout from, with many corners of the web now crying shame!

Opinions of Wingstop are a mixed bag. There are a few diehard fans, but a hefty portion of customers are unhappy about the service or food they received. On Trustpilot, 56% of the 691 reviews for Wingstop give the franchise one-star at the time of writing, with only 31% of reviews being five-star. One unhappy customer even considers one star to be generous, writing; "If I could give a negative 10 stars I would." 

Yelp exhibits a similar split of opinions, with an LA Wingstop showing an almost even split between one-star reviews (34.5%) and slightly higher five-star reviews (37%). Around the country, Wingstop Yelp reviews are rarely without significant amount of one-star reviews weighing down the rating. Most bad reviews reference quality of the food, but there is consistent mention of takeout mishaps. This broad split between abhorrent and excellent reviews tells us that when Wingstop is good, it's very good, but when the franchise fails its customers, it fails hard.

Many fans of the wide array of flavors on offer at Wingstop claim that the food is as great as ever, but there's a major problem with the chain's customer service. This four-star Trustpilot review explains; "My only real gripe with WingStop is that they are an absolute nightmare to order online, with orders taking over two hours or just not arriving at all."

Even on Yelp, where good and bad ratings are usually more evenly matched, ordering takeout can catch some poor service. One New York-based customer explains their experience: "Sadly, they made a mistake and delivered the wrong order. I called in and the girl hung up on me repeatedly, told me there's nothing she can do and went on to argue with me instead of issue me a refund or suggest another option. Customer service sucks here !"

One important thing to note when it comes to ordering Wingstop, is that the store-level management makes a huge difference, and not all Wingstop chains are the same. For example, as this LA customer recounts: "I had a mistake on my DoorDash delivery and without question she made everything right! We were missing several items and she made sure to quickly replace them and get a new DoorDash driver. She even called me back to let me know that everything was in the works." The current owner of this franchise also responds to both positive and negative Yelp reviews politely and courteously.

Grievances with the management or service at Wingstop doesn't just come from customers, but even delivery drivers have their gripes in picking up orders from these franchises, according to some drivers on Uber and DoorDash driver subreddits. One DoorDash driver explains, "I'm so glad I don't dash in the areas with Wingstop anymore. When I lived near one, I would purposely drive to another zone to avoid their bulls***." Other drivers in the thread complained about Wingstop chains giving orders to the wrong people, taking too long to prepare the food, and even "hav[ing] a history of blatantly ignoring DD policy" in asking drivers to fill drinks, which is a supposed sanitation violation.

So does this mean that Wingstop is a total no-go? Not at all, but it does mean that your expectations should be in check before you open that food delivery app. There's every chance that the Wingstop near you has responsible customer service, prepares delicious food, and works well with the delivery drivers. Unfortunately, it's equally likely that you end up with yet another one-star experience, so set your expectations low. If you find a good Wingstop, maybe there'll be another five-star review out there.