Wingstop Restaurants Inc. has named Bill Engen chief operating officer, effective immediately, the company said Thursday.
Engen, who was most recently senior vice president of operations at 7-Eleven Inc.’s Eastern division, succeeds Bill Knight, who is retiring after leading Dallas-based Wingstop’s operations group for 11 years.
“Bill is a dynamic leader who brings a wealth of operations and management expertise to Wingstop,” said Charlie Morrison, Wingstop’s president and chief executive, in a statement.
“We’re opening restaurants at record pace both in the U.S. and abroad, and Bill will be a tremendous asset to our team and to our franchisees as we continue to drive dramatic growth in both restaurant count and sales,” Morrison added.
Most recently, Engen directed 7-Eleven’s operations for more than 4,000 franchised locations, which represent half of the company’s domestic business.
Prior to 7-Eleven, Engen worked for a decade at Circuit City Stores Inc., where he held several executive positions and oversaw the retailer’s operations for more than 700 locations.
“Wingstop is well positioned to further establish itself as one of the dominant brands in the fast-casual segment, and I am incredibly excited to join the team,” Engen said.
Wingstop, a division of Atlanta-based Roark Capital Group, has more than 670 restaurants in the United States, Indonesia, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia and Singapore.
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