How Wingstop Turns Hourly Workers into 70% of Its Leaders

HR Leaders

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7d ago 33:57

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In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, we speak with Donnie Upshaw, Chief People Officer & Senior Vice President at Wingstop Restaurants Inc., about scaling one of the fastest-growing restaurant brands while protecting culture and developing frontline talent.

Donnie shares how 70% of Wingstop’s general managers started as hourly employees, why the GM role is the most important in the company, and how intentional development, micro-learning, and recognition fuel growth. He also explains how Wingstop uses storytelling, internal podcasts, and community giving to connect 47,000+ team members worldwide.

🎓 In this episode, Donnie discusses:

Why 70% of Wingstop GMs started as hourly employees
Why the GM is the single most important role in the business
How to scale culture across 2,800 restaurants in 15 countries
Building connection through storytelling, recognition, and community giving
Using micro-learning, gamification, and mobile tools for frontline development

🙏‍ Thanks you to our series partner - Greenhouse.

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