Michael Skipworth on consumer pressure
From This is a ‘TRANSFORMATIONAL year’ for our brand: Wingstop CEO · · Fox Business Clips
“We are hearing a lot of pressure on that consumer from gas prices and our business over-indexes a little bit to the lower income consumer where there is a more pronounced impact as it relates to the price at the gas pump they are paying, but this is something our business, we've seen before. The last time gas prices reached these levels in 2022, we saw a similar impact to the overall trend in our business and we were able to navigate that and I'm confident as we see what's in front of us and what we can see in the underlying trends in our business that we will be able to navigate this and return back to growth in the second half of the year.”
On , Michael Skipworth, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director at WINGSTOP INC, spoke about consumer pressure during This is a ‘TRANSFORMATIONAL year’ for our brand: Wingstop CEO on Fox Business Clips.
About Michael Skipworth
In an April 2026 interview on Fox Business, Wingstop CEO Michael Skipworth described 2026 as a "transformational year" for the brand. He stated that the company is executing brand-specific strategies, including improving operations through "Wingstop Smart Kitchen" to attract higher-income guests less sensitive to gas prices, and launching a loyalty program. Skipworth said the loyalty program is being built from a consumer-driven approach using a database of over 60 million users, and will allow guests to earn points, with a focus on engagement, personalization, and unique experiences. Skipworth acknowledged that rising gas prices are putting pressure on the lower-income consumer that Wingstop over-indexes to, and noted a similar impact on business trends when gas prices reached these levels in 2022. He said that despite a decline in sales in the first quarter that the company is "not happy with," profitability within restaurants improved and margins strengthened. Skipworth added that Wingstop has a little over 3,000 restaurants and aspirations to grow to over 10,000, describing the company as a "unit growth story."