DALLAS Wingstop Restaurants Inc., the 351-unit chicken-wing chain based here, has signed former professional basketball players Gary Payton and Brian Shaw as franchisees in Southern California. An agreement with Wingmen Ventures LLC, a franchise investment group that includes Payton, Shaw, Dornell Griffin, Stanley Bae and Mike Shockley, calls for three units.
Payton entered the National Basketball Association in 1990 as a member of the Seattle SuperSonics and also played with the Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. Shaw, who is an assistant coach for the Lakers, played with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and the Lakers.
Wingstop has franchise agreements with other athletes, including Cleveland Browns linebacker Willie McGinest, former Dallas Cowboy Ron Stone and Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Raheem Brock.
Wingstop was founded in 1994 and began franchising in 1997. The company says systemwide sales in 2007 were about $200 million.
