Dec. 16, 2024

The newest Wingstop in Sioux Falls has opened on 57th Street just east of Louise Avenue.

The franchise is owned by Mike Leslie and Jeff Oliver, who worked together in leadership roles for years at Dakota King, the former Burger King franchisee. In April, they opened their first Wingstop in Sioux City.

Franchise owners Jeff Oliver and Mike Leslie with operations manager Mitchell Curtis (center)

“We did our research on the brand, and it really resonated with us, the awareness with the younger generation and social media,” Leslie said. “It’s a wonderful brand to be a part of, and they do a lot or things right.”

Wingstop originally opened in Sioux Falls at 1902 S. Minnesota Ave. in 2014. That location is owned by a different franchisee and has faced staffing issues that occasionally have limited hours in recent years.

“Service is what we’re driven on,” Leslie said of the location at 3605 W. 57th St. “We have our quote times, so I encourage everyone to download our app at wingstop.com. Get the app on the phone, and you’re able to place your orders through there, and it’ll give you a time to pick up. We strive very, very hard to hit those times and not waste people’s time, especially our DoorDash drivers. We really respect them because they’re usually out in the weather when our customers don’t want to go out.”

The minimum preparation time is 18 minutes because “everything is fresh and made to order,” Leslie said. Pointing out another key to the quality, the bone-in wings come in fresh and are never frozen, he said.

Wingstop serves bone-in and boneless wings with 13 flavors of varying spiciness, chicken sandwiches that are tossed in sauce and tenders with a dipping sauce.

“We have 13 standard flavors on our menu that are there, but three, four times throughout the year, we’ll put a limited-time offer flavor in just to mix it up a little bit,” Leslie said. “Our last one was Sweet Barbecue Blaze, which went over very, very well.”

One of the great values on the menu, Leslie said, is the chicken sandwich combo meal that comes with fries, a drink and a dipping sauce. It’s usually $9, and the current special is $8.

The restaurant has seating for 24 diners and serves Coke products.

Access is convenient with three entrances into the parking lot, Leslie said. The site also is close to the Interstate 229 interchange on Louise, “so you can get here quickly from any part of Sioux Falls,” he said, noting that it’s also no far from Tea and Harrisburg.

Hours for Wingstop are 11 a.m. to midnight daily.

For now, the franchisees plan to open in Brookings and Fargo and could do additional stores in Sioux Falls, Leslie said.