We tried the latest flavor from a rapper-endorsed chicken-wing chain: Here's the verdict
The company went public this summer, and the fast-casual restaurant's stock is soaring.
Wingstop is somewhere between a Buffalo Wild Wings and a Chipotle. It's fast-casual rather than sit-down, and allows customers to choose from an array of wing sauces and sides. About 75% of its orders are take-out, according to company representatives.
Rapper Rick Ross owns multiple franchises, according to Forbes. He posts photos of Wingstop on Instagram - he's even rapped about Wingstop.
In "Do Something Strange" with Ludacris, he talks about treating his girlfriend to Wingstop. Complex has curated a list of even more of his Wingstop-inspired lyrics.
As Wingstop grows, it has to try out new flavors.
Wingstop is currently offering a promotional flavor called Spicy Korean Q - a barbecue flavor with ginger, garlic, honey, and sriracha chili sauce. Business Insider tried the new flavor to see if it's any good, and if it's worth staying on the menu longer than its promotional period.
According to testers, they're spicy.
"Very spicy for such a sweet glaze," one person said, noting that "the heat is delayed."
"I'm usually not a fan of barbecue, so I couldn't get a good read on the taste apart from the burning sensation in my mouth," one tester said. "But from the flavors I could taste, it was great!"
Some loved them.
"Loved the Korean barbecue wings," another said.
Another described them as "freaking fantastic" with a "great balance of sweet and spicy."
One Texas native, who doesn't normally like barbecue food, said she was a fan, in part because "the Asian flavors and the spice especially made it stand out against regular barbecue."
"I would definitely eat [them] again," she added.
"The sauce was real bold and flavorful. They were a good size, meaty," another said. "Definitely fresh, not like I was eating some gross bar wings."
One person said she liked the promotional flavor better then the standard flavors - the originals were "too salty."
Not everyone liked new flavor, though.
"I thought the chicken tasted fake, and they were super salty. I only had two little [boneless] ones because I felt like if I had any more it would have made me sick," one person said. "I think the grossest thing was the chicken texture."
Wingstop plans to continue expanding. The chain, founded in 1994, already has over 750 units around the world.