Metro Roundup: Wingstop picks Hoover for first 2 Birmingham locations

Wingstop plans to open 15 stores in the Birmingham area over the next several years, with the initial locations being in Hoover.

The first one opened in Inverness Corners on July 20, and the franchise owner planned to open a second one in a 2,200-square-foot space in the new Hoover Crossings shopping center at 1539 Montgomery Highway near Interstate 65 by the end of September.

Wingstop is a chain of nostalgic, aviation-themed restaurants specializing in chicken wings. Founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, they began offering franchises in 1998. There are now more than 1,400 nationwide.

Nicole Norcross is the interim general manager of the Inverness location and is serving as the district manager for the greater Birmingham area. Her father, Ronnie, is the owner. The family owned some of the first Wingstop franchises.

“We started with store number three at the end of 1995, and the one we just opened was store 21,” Norcross said. “We own the entire market in El Paso, nine stores in Dallas and recently took over the store in Huntsville.”

When her father opened his first store in Garland, he was the manager and cook, and she worked as the cashier for many years. She took about 10 years off from the business and worked in ophthalmology, but always knew she would get back into her family business and did so about three years ago.

They have big plans for the Birmingham area locations, Norcross said.

“They’re coming back to back to back,” Norcross said. “Bessemer, Roebuck and Center Point locations are already signed for contract.”

Norcross said she is currently wearing about 14 different hats. She is working as the interim general manager for Inverness and the district manager for Huntsville. She is running the operation side of things, training managers and more.

“I’m excited to be a part of it,” she said. “Going back from being a cashier years ago to now being in charge of operations here, those are big shoes to fill, but nobody wants this more than me.”

As for the menu, Norcross said it hasn’t changed much since the inception of the company, other than a few flavor changes. They now offer boneless wings and tenders as well.

“Your bone-in classic wing is the go-to,” she said. “Our two most popular flavors are original hot and lemon pepper. Hot is always the No. 1 seller, and the only secret flavor not on the menu is the hot lemon pepper.”

At Wingstop, fries are hand cut each day and topped with a secret seasoning. They also hand make their own ranch and blue cheese dipping sauce. Norcross said the work that goes into their products is what makes them so much better.

The menu features 12 flavors of wings: lemon pepper, original hot, hickory smoked barbeque, mango habanero, garlic parmesan, Louisiana rub, mild, spicy Korean, Cajun, atomic and Hawaiian. Most of the combos start with two different flavors, so guests can try more than one at a time.

Sides include seasoned fries, cheese fries, Louisiana voodoo fries and Buffalo ranch fries along with Cajun fried corn and veggie sticks. In the future, Norcross plans to sell beer, but Wingstops across the country took a break on selling alcoholic beverages during the COVID-19 outbreak, she said.

Norcross said the neat thing about the Inverness location is that it is the only one of Wingstop’s 1,400-plus locations that currently has an open dining room. She asked corporate for permission and was told yes, as long as they followed the city’s social distancing guidelines.

“Having the dining room open gives guests the real Wingstop experience,” she said. “Customer service is huge for us because we want our guests to feel like family. I already have so many regulars that I love.”

In addition to dining inside the restaurant,guests can also order online or call for pickup or delivery. Wingstop uses DoorDash as its delivery service.

“I know what I’m working towards,” Norcross said. “My goal is to continue my father’s legacy ... He started it in his 30s, and I’m in my 30s, and I know what I can make of this and what the company can do for me and what I can do for it.”