Wingstop Plunges as It Warns of High Chicken Prices, Labor Crunch

By Dhirendra Tripathi

Investing.com – Wingstop inventory (NASDAQ:) slumped greater than 11% Wednesday after the corporate warned of excessive hen costs, stretched provides and labor shortages whereas reporting third-quarter numbers that disillusioned.

In line with the corporate, as a share of company-owned restaurant gross sales, complete price of gross sales might rise by 300 foundation factors to 83% for the yr from 80% forecasted earlier. One foundation level is one-hundredth of a %.

Gross sales have been costlier within the third quarter as the price of bone-in hen wings soared 49%. Wages and coaching prices have been larger, too.

The chain serving traditional wings, boneless wings and tenders expects home same-store gross sales to develop 7% to eight%.

Home same-store gross sales rose round 4% whereas digital accounted for round 62% of gross sales, corresponding to the third quarter within the final monetary yr.

Whole income rose 2.8%, to $65.8 million, as there have been extra retailer openings, and royalty income rose as did franchise charges. This was offset by a rebate of $6.9 million of promoting surplus that was returned to franchisees within the third quarter to partially account for the affect of report excessive wing inflation.

Web revenue was 12% larger at $11.29 million, aided by decrease promoting bills.

The corporate closed the quarter ended September 25 with 1,673 eating places system-wide, 49 greater than on the finish of the identical quarter final yr.