Wingstop has 3,000 restaurants across 18 countries, approximately US$5 billion (162.5 billion baht) in system-wide sales in 2024, and 21 consecutive years of same-store sales growth. It is, by any measure, big in the business of wings. Its first Thai branch opened at MBK Center earlier this year, operated by S&P Syndicate and fronted by Prakarn Raiva from Getsunova, positioning itself explicitly as a flavour business rather than a chicken business, and targeting Gen Z with nine signature sauced-up flavours.
The launch was loud, the branding was sharp and the queue on opening weekend was long. That Wingstop's Thai brand owner is the lead singer of one of the country's most recognisable bands is either a quirky detail or a deliberate signal about the kind of cultural cool the brand is trying to buy into, and probably both.
Joe Wings opened at Siam Paragon in April 2025. It is a spinoff of Ohkajhu, the Thai healthy eating brand, built on the observation that their American Hot Spicy Chicken had become their No.1 selling menu item for two consecutive quarters and deserved its own concept. It uses canola oil and a pressure fryer that cuts oil absorption by 30-40%, offers nine flavours with adjustable spice levels, and has already expanded to Silom Complex and The Mall Bangkapi. It has 2,779 Instagram followers. It has also been described, without apparent irony, as the local chain that reverse-engineered Wingstop and made it better.
