FCR — Wingstop vs Smoothie King

Layer8 Franchise Evaluation Suite | Franchise Comparison Report

Wingstop vs. Smoothie King

Food & Beverage / Fast Casual

Assessment Date: May 01, 2026

7.74

Wingstop

6.37

Smoothie King

Executive Comparison

Wingstop edges out Smoothie King by 1.37 points — a meaningful but not decisive difference. Wingstop scores 7.74/10 (ADEQUATE) versus Smoothie King at 6.37/10 (ADEQUATE). Both franchises have genuine strengths, and the right choice may depend on buyer profile, market availability, and capital position. Review the domain-by-domain breakdown below to understand where the differences emerge.

Overall Score Comparison

Metric	Wingstop	Smoothie King
Overall Score	7.74 ADEQUATE	6.37 ADEQUATE
Recommendation	BUY	BUY WITH CAUTION
Investment Range	$335,000 – $781,000	$263,550 – $840,050
Payback Period	7.8 years	18.5 years

Item 19 Financial Performance Disclosure

Metric	Wingstop	Smoothie King
Item 19 Status	✓ Disclosed $1,842,000 avg revenue 17.0% margin \| 7.8 yr payback	✓ Disclosed $524,000 avg revenue 9.0% margin \| 18.5 yr payback
Avg Unit Revenue	$1,842,000 Verified	$524,000 Verified

Both franchises provide Item 19 — scenario comparison below is based on disclosed data.

Domain-by-Domain Comparison

Domain	Wingstop	Smoothie King
Unit Economics	▲ 7.6 ADEQUATE	5.4 NEEDS REVIEW
Franchisee Satisfaction & Support	▲ 8.8 STRONG	6.8 ADEQUATE
Franchisor Financial Health	▲ 8.4 STRONG	7.0 ADEQUATE
Market & Competitive Position	▲ 8.0 STRONG	6.6 ADEQUATE
Territorial Rights & Protection	▲ 6.6 ADEQUATE	5.8 NEEDS REVIEW
Candidate Fit Assessment	▲ 7.0 ADEQUATE	6.2 ADEQUATE
FDD Quality & Transparency	▲ 7.8 ADEQUATE	7.3 ADEQUATE
Exit & Transfer Provisions	▲ 6.4 ADEQUATE	6.2 ADEQUATE

▲ = domain winner | domains ordered by score gap (largest gap first)

Domain Gap Analysis — Significant Differences (>1.5 pts)

Unit Economics (7.6 vs 5.4): Wingstop leads by 2.2 points — Wingstop offers a 7.8-year payback vs. 18.5 years — a decisive economic advantage.
Franchisee Satisfaction & Support (8.8 vs 6.8): Wingstop leads by 2.0 points — Wingstop franchisees report 8.6/10 satisfaction vs. 6.2/10 — a meaningful difference in actual operator experience.

Key Decision Factors — Why Wingstop Scores Higher

Franchisee Satisfaction & Support (8.8 vs 6.8): Wingstop franchisees report 8.6/10 satisfaction vs. 6.2/10 — a meaningful difference in actual operator experience.
Franchisor Financial Health (8.4 vs 7.0): Wingstop shows +312 net unit change vs. +82 — a stronger system growth signal.
Market & Competitive Position (8.0 vs 6.6): Wingstop ranks #1 in category vs. #2 for Smoothie King — stronger brand recognition and market position.

Investment Scenario Comparison

Scenario	Wingstop	Payback	Smoothie King	Payback
Conservative (80% AUV)	$1,473,600 $250,512 profit	2.2 yrs	$419,200 $37,728 profit	14.6 yrs
Base Case (AUV)	$1,842,000 $313,140 profit	1.8 yrs	$524,000 $47,160 profit	11.7 yrs
Optimistic (120% AUV)	$2,210,400 $375,768 profit	1.5 yrs	$628,800 $56,592 profit	9.8 yrs

Recommendation

Based on the Layer8 Franchise Evaluation Suite scoring across 8 domains and 40 criteria, Wingstop is the recommended opportunity with a 7.74-vs-6.37 score advantage.

Wingstop scores 7.74/10 (ADEQUATE) — BUY. Smoothie King scores 6.37/10 (ADEQUATE) — BUY WITH CAUTION.

Both franchises disclose Item 19, enabling direct comparison of unit economics. The score difference reflects performance across broader operational and structural dimensions.