Wingstop Restaurants Inc. has named Larry Kruguer (left) as chief operating officer, the company announced Friday.
Kruguer, who had served as the Dallas-based chicken-wing brand’s president of international since 2015, assumes a position that had been unfilled since the resignation of William Engen in July 2016.
Kruguer will be responsible for Wingstop’s global operations, supply chain and training, the company said, and he will continue to report to Charlie Morrison, the chain’s chairman and CEO.
“Larry is a talented restaurant executive who has done an exceptional job building our international business with development agreements that will put Wingstop on five continents and 13 countries, including our 100th international location, opened just last week,” Morrison said in a statement.
The 100th unit opened in Reynosa, Mexico, and marked the 60th unit in the brand’s oldest international market.
Morrison said Kruguer’s “expanded role will leverage his broad business knowledge to integrate our U.S. and international organizations, further scaling them for future growth.”
Wingstop has units in seven countries besides the U.S. and Mexico, including Colombia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. The company has announced development deals for Australia, France, New Zealand and the U.K., with restaurants scheduled to open in those countries this year.
“Our growth proves that Wingstop is loved by fans around the world,” Kruguer said in prepared remarks. “Through our focused menu and operating model, we will continue to provide them with the high-quality food, flavor and experience that they crave.”
Wingstop, founded in 1994, has more than 1,000 restaurants worldwide.
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