VResearch And

Consumer Insights

By Abby Gray, Julie Larsen, Mackenzie Scott, Amy Silvestri, Luke Starnes

& Emy Theodorakis

Table of ContentsIntroduction...........................................Secondary Research Findings..............Consumer Profile...................................Wing Behavior Types.......................... Qualitative Goals...................................Primary Research Methodologies.........Findings.................................................Tensions and Insights...........................Barriers and Opportunities....................Index..................................................... Screener........................................... Discussion Guide............................. Interview Questions.......................... Bibliography.....................................

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IntroductionLast year, Americans consumed approximately 27 billion chicken wings. Wings have graced the tables at thousands of sports bars, dinner tables and cookouts. Wings are not just a food choice. Within the past two decades, they have become a staple at social gatherings in American culture. Knowing this, we felt that it was important to dig past the surface of honey barbecue, lemon pepper and buffalo to find out what wings mean to the people who eat them. To discover why people choose wings, we looked beyond their eating behaviors and explored their lifestyles and the motivations that lead them to order chicken wings. We talked with both men and women between the ages of 18 and 25 to learn more about who they are as people. Through primary and secondary research, we gained insight into the deeper associations that this market has with wings, as well as the factors that lead up to the “Let’s get wings” moment.

The following findings, insights and recommendations are intended to make Wingstop a brand that its consumers will connect with on a personal and social level, inspiring consumer loyalty and greater brand recognition. By redirecting the target, Wingstop will be able to create more efficient campaigns that connect with a currently untapped segment of the wing market.

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Secondary Research

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We first conducted secondary research to learn about the current target, our prospective target and the brand’s

interactions on social media.

Secondary ResearchCurrent Target

The Hispanic market is rapidly emerging within the American culture. Their population is growing in America faster than ever before with a 43 percent growth versus the 4.9 percent non-Hispanic growth rate.

The Hispanic culture puts an emphasis on eating together as a family and as a community. Many of their eating habits

are centered around big events and celebrations. Those that have recently immigrated to the United States tend to eat healthier, maintaining their eating habits from their home country. The more assimilated into American culture these Hispanic

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families are, the unhealthier they tend to eat.

For Hispanic mothers, the idea of healthy eating tends to be associated with how wholesome and pleasing the food is to their families. Hispanic mothers play an important role in shopping for their families and their values tend to revolve around the well-being of their children. Their children’s preferences drive their purchasing behavior. The Hispanic mother is both a homemaker and a working mother. She is often working with a tight budget and is looking for a wholesome food option for her family to enjoy without breaking the bank. Recently, advertisers have begun to ignore the African American market in exchange for the growing Hispanic market. African Americans have been discounted as a target audience due to the fact that they do not have a language barrier, meaning that separate advertising specific to African Americans is uncommon. The nuances in African American culture are not recognized as an opportunity for targeting. Further, African Americans have never been a homogenous market. They

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are even more segmented today than ever before with unique purchasing behaviors. In general, the African American market shops more frequently than the total market. They make fewer trips to the grocery store and more trips to quick service restaurant businesses when compared to total U.S. households. African Americans are high media users and often social trend leaders. This market segment spends a large amount of their online time researching the topics of education, careers, family and lifestyle. Social media platforms are used as a tool for voicing opinion and conversing with others. This demographic’s heavy media usage provides a great opportunity to attract their attention. They heavily value family and their community at large.

Specifically, African American males are economic leaders in the African American community. They are often more brand-loyal than the overall market.

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Millennials

On average, Millennials visit fast food chains 12 or more times per month. They spend more of their income on food than any other generation. Generally speaking, Millennials do not cook often and are looking for a convenient way to get a meal. Inexpensive food chains have had greater success than more expensive chains with Millennial customers. The target is looking for their favorite brands

to have a strong digital presence and easy avenues to communicate openly with them. Millennials are expecting both an out-of-store relationship with their brands and an in-store experience. Millennials like options. They are more culturally diverse than any other generation, making them open to a wide variety of foods. Since brand information is just a Google search away, Millennials often do research on brands before trying it. They even ask for their friends’ advice on social media prior to buying. The target asks for more input from friends and family in their purchasing decisions than any other market before.

Based on this, we recommend the new target of the Connected Regular. He or she stays in the loop with

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their friends and family by sharing experiences with them, whether that be in person or on social media. They can find something enjoyable in all aspects of their life, and because of this, they find it acceptable to indulge when it comes to food, not burdening themselves with health concerns. The Connected Regular knows what they like and is a proud returner to the experiences they enjoy.

The new target currently sees Wingstop as a restaurant with top-quality takeout wings. Wingstop is a convenient option for them, but it is not necessarily top-of-mind. The Connected Regular craves a connection with the brands they use. Wingstop has the potential to tap into this market and leverage the Connected Regular’s already-developed tendency to remain loyal

to the things they love. By leveraging this, Wingstop can create a segment of the Millennial generation that will be Wingstop fans for life.

Social Media

Wingstop is far from a social media amateur. With

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accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest, they maintain an active social media presence and engage with their audience heavily. Wingstop’s tweets and posts promote interactivity, and their followers answer with high frequency. Wingstop doesn’t just respond frequently; they respond with passion.To consumers, Wingstop means cravings, bragging rights and “brownie points” for whoever brings the food home. Trends on Facebook show that the consumer treasures the food they have at Wingstop and wants to communicate that through social media. Twitter showed an entirely different trend. Consumers tweeted about their Wingstop experience with the main focus on the people with which they ate it. Eating Wingstop is a social activity for them, and they want to share that experience publicly. This information was the first clue that eating wings is a social activity.

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Consumer Profile

Based on our primary and secondary research, we created a new target profile called the “Connected Regular.”

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Say Hello to the Connected Regular

The Connected Regular leads a busy lifestyle but still makes time for fun. The people in their life are important to him or her, and they value the camaraderie and experiences that they share. Even though the Connected Regular is busy with school, work, sports, or other activities, there is no better feeling for them than kicking off their shoes at the end of the day and throwing themselves down on the sofa with friends or family.

This little chunk of relaxation, even if it may be interrupted with multitasking, is the Connected Regular’s reward for the day they have just completed. They will not hesitate to indulge themselves a little in binge-watching their favorite show

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on Netflix or snacking on a favorite treat.

When everyone is getting together, they are probably headed to the Connected Regular’s house. He or she is reliable and sees their friends or family on a regular basis. Because of this, they are an important part of the time the group shares together. If the Connected Regular was to not show up to a movie night or someone’s birthday dinner, others would notice their absence. The Connected Regular always has a pulse on their friends and family, and they would much prefer to hang out with them than to be alone. For them, “me time” is replaced with “we time.” Whether he or she is studying, watching something on TV or surfing the Internet, they would rather be doing it with friends. As social media “scrollers,” they use these arenas to stay up-to-date and entertain themselves if they can’t actually be with their friends. When the Connected Regular is in the know

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about their friends’ and families’ lives, they feel valued and fulfilled.

The Connected Regular does what he or she can to enjoy life. They do not let little things get in the way of their happiness, and it takes a lot to stress them out. Not overly concerned with any one aspect of life, the Connected Regular stays

relaxed by seeking out activities that make them happy. They would never let something like a headache or a work deadline get in the way of a plan they made with someone. He or she is not an incredibly hard person to please, but they know what they like and do not like, and they will not be afraid to pursue it or avoid it accordingly. They go to the same places time and time again because they never disappoint, and the Connected Regular is proud to do so. Traditions are important to the Connected Regular because they are an opportunity for them to relive again and again the things they love most. Familiarity is key for the Connected Regular. No matter where they are or how busy of a day it was, all it takes is a little reminder of home to keep them grounded.

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As a result of our primary research, we created several profiles of wing eaters. From these, we created our

consumer profile.

Wing Behaviors

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Wing Eating HabitsThe Craver • Spontaneous in the foods they crave.• Know what they want and go after it.• Leader and influencer in their friend group.• Usually crave a specific kind of wing.• Avoid eating alone.• Enjoy the experience of eating wings as much as the wings themselves.

The Tag-Alongs • Don’t take the initiative to order wings for themselves.• Will eat wings if someone else supplies them.• Not usually the purchaser.• Have accompanied their friend(s) to get wings.• Likely to look at extras to accompany wings.• Eat wings more for the experience of eating with their friends.• Easily persuaded by special or deals.

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The Mindless Eater • Wings as a go-to food whenever a game is on.• Eat wings while watching the game or socializing with friends.• Emphasis on easy-to-eat sides and beverages that go along with wings (i.e. fries and beer).• Atmosphere important; enjoy the offerings of a bar setting.• Will eat wings even if they aren’t high in quality.

The Dedicated • Likely to have a usual day or time to get wings.• View wings as a comfort food.• Often get wings to go.• Have a usual wing order.• Set high standards for their wings.• Not health conscious.• More likely to purchase their own order of wings but will be with a group of people.

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Qualitative Goals

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In an effort to learn about our new consumer, we created qualitative goals to focus on during our primary research.

Understanding the various types of wing eaters.

Explore who wing eaters are as people.

Reveal the consumer’s feelings toward Wingstop as a brand.

Discover the motivations behind choosing wings and the types of situations in which wings are eaten.

Uncover the relationship and associations the consumer has with wings.

Qualitative Goals

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Primary Research Methodologies

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With our qualitative goals in mind, we conducted several focus groups and interviews to learn more about our consumer.

Who we talked to:

Males and females ages 18–25 who have consumed wings in the last three months.

How we found them:

Screener: Our screener questions were designed to select participants who had consumed wings in the last three months, are between the ages of 18-25 and live in the Columbia area.

Our screener was distributed through…Facebook On our personal profile pages. On Facebook group pages. Friends’ personal profile pages.Word-of-mouth Asking friends and acquaintances.

How we talked to them:

Four focus groups consisting of 6–9 people, both males and female.Two in-depth interviews, one male and one female.

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Focus groups were the best way for us to observe and gather information from wing consumers of our target age bracket. They allowed us to observe how they consume wings in a group setting, and the group discussion facili-tated the sharing of past experiences.

Focus Group Set-Up

The Food• We provided wings to observe individual and social behavior while consuming wings. Note: These were not Wingstop wings due to the distance to the nearest Wingstop restaurant.The Space• Held in a small, private meeting room to reflect a casual eating experience with friends.• Created a space where our participants felt equally comfortable to share their experiences. • Arranged the participants’ seats in a circle in order to facilitate a group conversation with fair opportunity for interaction.• Chose not to go to participants’ homes in order to establish neutral territory.

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Discussion Guide

Our discussion guide served as a tool to help us lead the conversation in our focus groups. Our aim was to understand who our participants are as people as well as their behaviors surrounding wings.

Our discussion was broken into four conversation categories modeled after a meal.1. Drinks: Icebreakers, introductory questions.2. Appetizers: Eating and dining habit questions.3. Main Course: Wing-specific questions.4. Dessert: Wingstop-specific questions.

To help us track findings we...• Looked for “watch words.”• Recorded our focus groups.• Took notes during focus groups.• Took photos during focus groups.• Took video during focus groups.• Kept participants’ drawings from focus group discussions.

Projective Technique #1 Lifestyle questions What we did: Asked open-ended questions on the participants’ lifestyles.

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Why we did it: • To understand consumers on a personal level.• To learn more about their everyday lives.• To stimulate conversation.

Projective Technique #2 Draw a wing eaterWhat we did: Asked participants to draw pictures of a wing eater.

Why we did it: • To determine industry stereotypes.• See where participants feel they fall in relationship to them.• Allow participants to share thoughts about wing eaters that they couldn’t vocalize.

Projective Technique #3 Wing obituary What we did: Asked participants which foods they would replace wings with if wings were to no longer exist.

Why we did it: • To allow consumers to identify wings’ competition in the marketplace.• To identify the purpose wings serve for the consumer.

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Projective Technique #4 Wing-eating observationWhat we did: Observed the way wings were eaten in a group setting during the focus groups.

Why we did it: • To see how people may interact while eating wings together.• To understand the dynamics of the wing-eating experience.

In-Depth Interviews

Purpose: To gain deeper insight into the relationship consumers have developed with wings and the Wingstop brand.

Who we talked to: One male and one female, Ben and Anna. Note: Names have been changed for the purpose of confidentiality.

Why we chose them: • Ben is from Dallas, a prominent Wingstop location, and he has had a lot of experience with the brand.• Anna is a wing enthusiast, and wings have played a significant role throughout her life.

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Findings

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Based on the information gathered in our primary and secondary research, we developed following significant

findings.

Group Activity“Let’s get wings!”

The participants in our focus group enjoy eating with friends. They view eating with friends as a social gathering in itself, and the people they are with when they eat play a significant role in their eating experience. They said that they felt uncomfortable, and even fearful, of eating by themselves in public.

“I’ve never eaten by myself. I actually have a fear of sitting down and eating by myself.”

“I will leave my house to get food if people go with me.”

“I’ve never ordered [wings] by myself.”

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Gender of Wing Eaters

In the focus groups we conducted, participants were asked to draw a wing eater. The majority of people drew men, and only a few participants drew women. From this, we formed the idea that, according to the target, the “typical wing eater” is male. Despite this, the women in our focus groups said that they often eat wings themselves.

“I want to draw a girl eating wings because I like wings, but I feel like the typical wing eater is a boy.”

“At first, I wanted to draw a guy, but then again, I’m a girl, and I love wings.”

“It’s a guy and girl thing.”

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Sports Stereotype“Sports = wings”

We learned during our focus groups that many people associate wings with sports, and vice versa. When we asked participants to draw a “wing eater”, many of them drew sports fans in jerseys. In their verbal descriptions of these drawings, they frequently described the person they drew being at a sports-centered event such as a football watch party or a tailgate. Participants said that wings were an easy food to eat while their eyes were on the game.

“If I’m watching sports, I’m not going to eat something like a steak where I have to look down and cut into [it].”

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Convenience“Who has time to cook?”

When asked what sort of meals they eat during the week, participants in the focus groups and the interviews said they did not set aside time to cook. If they did, they often cooked pasta, chicken or meals they had leftover. More often, they get food to go or order delivery from a restaurant. They explained that they enjoy the convenience of eating a meal that is already made. By purchasing a ready-made meal, the time they would have spent cooking is then used for other activities that are more important to them.

“Who actually has time to wait three hours for a meal? If it’s longer than 15 minutes, I won’t even wait.”

“I think I suck at cooking even if I did have time.”

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Familiarity“Comfort food”

Participants who grew up eating wings with their family spoke fondly of the memory of their shared meals. Their eating habits were developed during their childhood upbringing, and the participants now continue the same eating behaviors with friends. Eating familiar foods provides them with a sense of comfort and reward.

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“It’s the experience and comfort food. It reminds me of home when I’m here. It reminds me of here when I’m home.”

“I feel like wings are an experience for me at school with friends or at home with family.”

Brand Anonymity“Wingstop who?”

Many focus group participants who had not eaten Wingstop were unsure of what it was. They often confused Wingstop with WingStreet from Pizza Hut. For many, this was simply attributed to the fact that Wingstop is not yet well-established in the Midwest region. For this reason, it was easy for them to confuse Wingstop with market competition or simply defer their preferences to another brand. Even during our in-depth interview, a participant from Texas admitted that Wingstop was not quite a “household name” like Buffalo Wild Wings.

“I like that you can get pizza there, too.”

“Is that the one with Pizza Hut?”

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Eating Times“Wing occasions”

We learned that the people in our focus groups usually eat wings either for dinner or as a late-night snack. When asked if they ever eat wings for lunch, the majority said they don’t. Wings were talked about as an “end of the day” type of food.

“I usually eat wings at night or for a late appetizer.”

“I usually go out as a social gathering.”

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Product Preferences “All about the wings”

Participants in the study are flavor-loyal, but they are not necessarily location-loyal. When choosing wings, they have a usual order. Quality is important to these people, and if the wings themselves are not good, then extras like sauce do not matter. Our participants who have had Wingstop think that Wingstop’s wings are better than other wing competitors’ wings.

“I wish I could have Wingstop wings at Buffalo Wild Wings.”

“Wingstop [is where] you just ‘go if you want to get wings.’”

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Competitors“We’ll figure something else out.” Participants expressed disappointment and shock at the idea of wings not existing. However, they reacted by quickly coming up with other group food alternatives. Some said that they would order pizza if wings were not an option. Others mentioned grilling or ordering Chinese or Indian food.

“I’m always fine with just grilling. It creates a social atmosphere while the food cooks. Maybe drink a few beers, too.”

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Social Media Scrollers

“Trolling the news feed”In our focus groups, we found that the participants were active on social media but do not post content as often as they view others’ content. For example, they said they use social media to find out what others are doing rather than to communicate with people through these sites.

“Everyone follows celebrities and brand accounts, but don’t necessarily interact with someone.”

“I get my news on Twitter, but I prefer to look at photos on Instagram.”

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Tensions and Insights

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These tensions and insights truly represent who our consumer is as a person.

Insight SummaryThe Connected Regular enjoys the sense of comfort, tradition and connectedness that eating familiar foods brings to them.

The Connected Regular does not consider themselves a “wing eater” because they do not connect with the wing industry advertising that depicts a sports-focused consumer.

The Connected Regular is consistent in their food choices, and even though they are flexible people, they would prefer returning to a place they know they like rather than trying something unknown that may disappoint them.

When the Connected Regular eats out or gets takeout food, they look forward to the sense of relaxation and indulgence that they get from the experience.

A shared eating experience is important to the Connected Regular, but he or she still wants to individually order their “usual.”

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Insight OneInsight

“When I go out to eat or get takeout, I have a “usual.” It doesn’t take me long to decide what I want because I know what I like. Having a “usual” gives me something to look forward to when I am eating food from a certain restaurant. Knowing how good my “usual” is means I can have high expectations that will be met. There are certain foods that remind me of certain people and places, and when I eat them it just takes me back to those moments. Comfort food can turn a crazy long day around by either making me think of people I care about, or better yet – actually eating the food with them again.”

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Insight TwoTension

Eating Wings vs. Being a “Wing Eater”

Insight

“I love to eat wings, but I am not that person you see with the foam finger in all those wing commercials. When I want wings, I want wings. I get wings regularly but I still just would not really call myself a ‘wing eater.’ Wings are something I enjoy, but they are not who I am. When I think of somebody who loves wings, I think of a macho guy who is going from playing some pickup game outside to turning the game on inside. He lives and breathes sports and that is just not me. I guess you could say I eat wings, but I am not the ultimate wing fan.”

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Insight ThreeInsight

“I definitely have a go-to for whatever I do. If I want to go see a movie on Friday night, I know which of my friends will be interested in that movie. My friends all know my favorite candy, my favorite songs and my favorite stores, and I know theirs. I feel like there really isn’t a reason to try something new when I already know what I like. The only time I would really try to replace one of my go-tos would be if I had a bad experience with it. When people say something negative about a restaurant or a hotel, chances are I won’t be going there. I get a little nervous when one of my friends suggests trying that new stir fry place at the mall, but I’ll usually go with to make them happy.”

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Insight FourTension

Dislike for Cooking vs. Desire for Quality

Insight

“At the end of the day, the absolute last thing I want to do is cook. When I come home I feel lazy and I want to relax. Besides, I don’t really know how to cook complicated meals, and I’m not that interested in learning. If I were to make a meal myself it would be something pretty boring and basic, like spaghetti or a sandwich. Even though I don’t like cooking, that doesn’t mean I don’t like good food. I want something that tastes good and satisfies my hunger, so I will usually get food from one of my go-to places where they have options I like. There is just something so easy about someone else taking care of your meal for you. Being able to enjoy a good meal that you did not have to waste time preparing yourself is great.”

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Insight FiveTension

Individual Preferences vs. Shared Experiences

Insight

“When I get food from somewhere besides home, it is usually because of the food and the company I’m with. Eating out alone is embarrassing, not to mention pretty boring. I love going out to eat with my friends or family, but it is a waste of time to try to get everyone to agree on something to order. I usually avoid this confusion by ordering what I like most and encouraging others to do the same. Of course, I’m in it for the conversation and fun with the people I am with, but I do not want to be disappointed by my food either. When I get food from somewhere other than home, I feel justified in my choice

if others indulge with me. Getting food from a restaurant is a treat, and I want to enjoy every aspect of it.”

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Barriers and Opportunities

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We identified these barriers and opportunies to show where Wingstop falls short as well as where they have potential to

capitalize.

BarriersBarrier OneWingstop has a case of competition confusion. Consumers have a tendency to confuse Wingstop with market competitors - most commonly Pizza Hut’s WingStreet. This is an issue because as our research has shown, the pizza industry is a direct competitor of the wing industry. Now that pizza companies like Pizza Hut are trying to break into the wing industry, differentiation is important more than ever. In our primary research, those non-heavy Wingstop users expressed that they too enjoyed “Wingstop,” thinking that we were talking about the brand WingStreet. Barrier TwoWingstop does not have a national identification. There is no doubt that Wingstop’s growth as a company is well-documented. However, its heaviest concentrations of store locations rest in Texas and California. Although there are locations sprinkled throughout the country, Wingstop does not hold the name recognition it does in its primary locations. Our research indicated that consumers were likely to recall a Wingstop in their home area, but they

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would not visit one when traveling to a new location. The lack of brand exposure in places other than Wingstop’s primary locations decreases the consumer’s overall brand awareness.

Barrier Three People don’t stay at Wingstop. Our target expressed that they enjoyed Wingstop purely for the taste of their wings and fries. Typically, the target picks up their Wingstop to go. However, many of the participants in our primary research expressed that they enjoyed industry competitors like Buffalo Wild Wings because of the interactive atmosphere. Although the target primarily likes getting food to go, there are times when they like to enjoy a night out of the house, and Wingstop is not

a destination for that occasion. Building an “in-house” presence on top of the already successful takeout would help improve brand awareness by lengthening the interaction with the brand.

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OpportunitiesOpportunity OneBecoming the “wing experts.” The third barrier can also be seen as a first opportunity. Our primary research and secondary research showed that people loved Wingstop because their wings were simply the best. Meanwhile, 61 percent of consumers in markets where Wingstop was present said that they mentioned Wingstop’s name first when discussing the best wings in their neighborhood. Wings are what the brand does best, and the consumer recognizes that. When they are looking for the best wings in town, Wingstop is the top of our target’s mind. Opportunity TwoBecoming the “celebrity’s wing.”

Thanks in large to franchisee, Rick Ross, Wingstop receives many organic references in pop culture. Rick Ross often places Wingstop in some of his songs and tweets to his over 3 million followers on

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Twitter. Our primary research showed that the target is likely to respond to promotion like this. Fellow rapper, Wale, with 3.93 million followers also gives unpaid blasts to Wingstop. This unpaid promotion by pop culture icons resonates well with the target audience. Wingstop has a dual opportunity. First, they can increase the impact of their current endorsements by engaging with the celebrities on social media, thus widening the brand’s exposure to consumers that are unaware of Wingstop’s celebrity connections. Second, they can leverage the fact that celebrities already endorse the brand and reach out to other celebrities in hopes that they, too, will be Wingstop advocates. Opportunity ThreeBecoming the “woman’s wing.”

Our primary research showed that the target believes that the stereotypical chicken wing eater is a male who is probably watching sports. Despite this sentiment, women said that the stereotype did not alter their perception of the wing industry. The female target

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said they were just as likely to go out for wings as any other type of food. The gender of the company did not affect either side of the target consumer, and women said that they would choose wings in a group of only females. Going off of this, Wingstop could increase the amount of advertising featuring or targeting women.

Opportunity FourBecoming the “affordable wing.” The target said that they were more inclined to pick up food from a place running a promotion. However, they were not as susceptible to everyday “combo deals.” The consumer enjoys promotions such as the ones Wingstop already has in place where boneless wings are 60 cents each on Mondays and Tuesdays. By further promoting

sales and deals as a way to make the target’s wing consumption more frequent and more cost-effective, Wingstop can increase the impact of the popular specials that they have already developed.

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Appendix

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Our screener, discussion guide, interview questions and works cited are included to show the procedures we

used to obtain our information.

Screener

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1. Have you purchased chicken wings in the past three months? Yes No

2. If you consumed or purchased chicken wings in the past three months, were you with a group of people? Yes No

3. How many times have you consumed chicken wings in the past three months? More than once a week Once a week Once every two weeks Once a month Once every two months None

4. How often do you order takeout or delivery for a meal with others? Once a week More than once a week Once every two weeks Once a month Once every two months None

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5. How many times have you had chicken wings from Wingstop? 1-2 times 3-5 times 5 or more times I have never had Wingstop before

6. How old are you? ___________________

7. What is your gender? Male Female

8. Please provide general contact information Name: _____________ City/State: ______________ Email Address: _____________ Phone Number: ______________

Purpose:

Our purpose is to understand the social patterns around wing consumption among 15-24 year old wing consumers. We hope to identify the driving factors for wing purchases among this target.

Prefatory Remarks (5-6 minutes):

Hi, my name is ___. Thank you so much for coming out to our focus group today. We will be asking you some questions about your lifestyle and the types of dining experiences you have had. We have a note taker present, and we will be recording this focus group so we can remember your responses; however, this information will not be released to anyone besides us. If at any time you feel uncomfortable with the discussion, it is in your right to bow out of the conversation or leave the room. Keep in mind that this room is a safe space, so feel free to speak candidly and off the top of your mind. This will be kept under an hour, and you’re welcome to help yourself to some pizza while you’re here. Thanks again for coming!

Discussion Guide

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Drink Order (introductions, 5-6 minutes):

Moderator introduces themselves, stating their name, hometown and the last activity they did with friends. Moderator explains the icebreaker activity for each to follow suit.

Icebreaker activity: Turn to the person next to you and find out their name, hometown and the last activity they did with friends, then introduce them to the group. (Allow 2 minutes for this)

Lifestyle (7-9 minutes)

What types of activities do you do with your friends?

What are your personal hobbies?

Who is your role model and why?

Are you active on social media?Follow-up: Who do you interact with? Do you interact with brands or celebrities you like? Who are they?

If you watch TV, what do you usually watch? Follow-up: Do you multitask while you watch TV? Doing what? Do you snack? On what?

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What are the top 3 qualities that are important to you in a friend?

Appetizers (transition to food industry questions):

Name a restaurant you like and why.

What do you usually eat during the week? Follow-up: How does that differ from the weekends?

If you were inviting a group of people over to eat, what would you serve them?Follow-up: Why?

For the next few questions, think about yourself when you dine out, order food to go, or get food delivered.

What makes you choose to get food from somewhere other than home?

Are you usually with anybody? If so, who?

What made you choose the restaurant you chose?

What makes you choose to dine in vs. take out/delivery? Watch words: Special event? Time crunch? Bringing food

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for others?

What kinds of food do you crave?Watch words: Wings? Guilty pleasure? Satisfying cravings?Follow-up: How do you respond to the craving?

Main Course (wing-focused questions)

Where you have eaten wings from? Watch words: Wingstop? Buffalo Wild Wings?Follow-up: What’s your favorite and why?

What are the circumstances when you eat wings (time, day, meal etc.)?

Who do you usually eat wings with?Watch words: Friends? Family? Coworkers? Group settings?

Do you have a usual order? Watch words: Cravings? Follow-up: What is it?

Are you loyal to a specific wing restaurant?Watch words: Wingstop? Buffalo Wild Wings?

The last time you ate wings, was it planned?

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Follow-up: How/why? Who planned it (if planned)?

When you order wings, is there a community order, or is it more individual? Follow-up: Why is it one way or the other?

Draw a person who eats wings. Follow-up: Describe them.

What do you enjoy about wings?Watch words: Spicy flavor?

If wings no longer existed, how would you react?Follow-up: How would you replace them?

Dessert (Wingstop-specific questions):

What image comes to mind when you hear “Wingstop”?

What are your likes and dislikes about Wingstop?Follow-up: What do they do well? What can improve?

Draw a Wingstop eater and a Buffalo Wild Wings eater. Follow-up: How are they different from each other? Which one do you see yourself as? Why?

Check Please (closing remarks/follow-up questions):

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We would love any further insight into your wing consumption habits. Are there any other comments you may have that will help us gain further insight into your relationship with wings?

We want to thank you for your time. You answers have helped us with our research. Feel free to take more food on your way out. Thank you!

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Interview QuestionsDescribe what dinner was like at home with the family.

What kinds of food did you eat with your family at dinner?

How did you family decide what the meal would be?

Since you’ve started college, have your eating habits changed?

Under what circumstances did you eat out while living at home?Key words: Occasions, Family weekend, with friends, etc.

How often do you eat chicken wings?

Are you loyal to a certain place?

What drives your craving for wings?

Who are you with?

Do you have a “go to order?”Why?

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How would you describe Wingstop in three words?

How would you describe Wingstop to someone who’s never been?

What do you like and dislike about other competitors?(ex: WingStreet, BWW, etc.)

Have you heard of Wingstop Sports?

Do you follow Wingstop on social media?

Do you ever interact with brands on social media?Which? Why?

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Works CitedHow Millenials will dictate the fast food industryhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2014/04/18/how-millen-nials-will-dictate-the-future-of-fast-food/

Target Markets Restaurantshttp://www.qsrmagazine.com/denise-lee-yohn/2-target-markets-restaurants

Wingstop to open its first California sports dinerhttp://www.ocregister.com/articles/wingstop-374999-sports-sonen-shine.html

U.S. food culture proves difficult hurdle for Hispanic mothershttp://voxxi.com/2013/01/01/food-culture-hispanic-mothers/

The Hispanic Food Shopperhttp://www.hispanicretail360.com/userfiles/file/2012%20Presenta-tions/Concurrent%20Session%20D-1%20-%20CAG_Hispanic%208%2014%2012%20Final%20less%20video.pdf

Univisionhttp://corporate.univision.com/the-hispanic-consumer/reports/re-search/food-fast-facts/

The Health Toll of Immigrationhttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/health/the-health-toll-of-immigra-tion.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Don’t bypass African Americanshttp://adage.com/article/news/marketers-bypass-african-ameri-can-consumers/134232/

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