Five months after opening its doors, Wingstop has settled into Hamden

Craving chicken wings in Hamden? Crave no more.

Wingstop officially opened on April 6 in Hamden Plaza, introducing the recognizable wings and sauce to a new crowd of wing enthusiasts.

“(Hamden citizens) were surprised and happy that we’re here,” Hamden Wingstop franchisee Sheel Shah said. “People love wings, everybody does.”

Open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to midnight and located at 2100 Dixwell Ave., the chain includes a menu that includes 14 customizable sauces and dips. Add in combo meals and a long list of sides, and the location is bound for success.

Shah also owns and operates the Wayback Burgers nearby. But why open another national fast food chain in a plaza that also includes McDonalds, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Taco Bell and Popeyes, among others?  

“We know the business is good here,” Shah said. “People have had (Wingstop) in other places, but not here.”

The 25-year-old Hamden native wanted to bring a Wingstop to his hometown after seeing the success of Wayback, which his family has owned for 12 years. But this location is just one of three new spots around the state.

“We know the community, I live in Hamden,” Shah said. “First we opened one in Derby, now we opened one here (and) now we are opening one in Waterbury.”

These three new buildings are just part of the franchise’s expansion plans, which includes five other Connecticut locations and over 1,800 throughout the country. According to the company’s website, Wingstop has over 2,000 locations worldwide and are constantly going through expansion plans within the United States.

Danielle Collea, an Albertus Magnus College student and Southbury resident, has never been to the Hamden Wingstop, let alone any location. She isn’t opposed to going, she says she’s just never considered it. 

“I’ve never really had the time to go,” Collea said. “I like wings … (Now that there’s one in Hamden), I would go.”

Hamden resident Kip Stevens feels the same way as Collea. Nothing against the chicken wings and fries, but stepping into the restaurant wasn’t a bucket list item.

“My cousin mentioned the other day that her son likes Wingstop,” Stevens said as she waited for her first-ever taste. “I like fried (foods), there’s a lot of different flavors to try … I might as well try.”

Founded in Texas back in 1994, Wingstop started franchising just three years later. They were the third-largest growing restaurant chain in the country from 2014 to 2016, according to Nation’s Restaurant News. 

Stevens mentions she will “probably” come back and that it was good to see a wing place in Hamden. She reiterates what Shah said about expanding to Hamden, the growth is only going to attract new customers.

That growth has helped spread its wings to Riya Patel, a Waterbury resident who loves getting her wings from Wingstop.

“I figured it (just opened) because of the signs,” Patel – an avid fan of the Cajun sauce – said. “We haven’t been to (this one) before, (but) I delivered Wingstop before.”

With the bright neon-green sign lighting up the plaza parking lot, it’s hard to miss. Tack on the NOW OPEN sign out front and it’s bound to bring new faces in.

“This is their first time here,” Patel said, gesturing to her friends across the table from her. “(They’re) from East Haven.”

And if you haven’t made your way down to Wingstop yet, Shah guarantees one thing. 

“Our sauces are the best,” Shah said. “It’s better than Buffalo Wild Wings.”