Raj Kapoor has been named senior vice president and president of international for Wingstop, as the quick-service restaurant chain focuses on growth around the world.
Kapoor joins the Dallas-based wings chain after 28 years with 7-Eleven Inc., most recently as senior vice president of fresh food and proprietary beverages. He has also served as senior vice president and chief information officer and vice president and general manager of 7‑Eleven Canada, as well as vice president of international for the convenience-store retailer from 2011 to 2013. Other roles with the company have included field consultant, logistics manager, sales and merchandising director, senior director of operations and vice president of operations.
- 7-Eleven Inc. is No. 1 on CSP’s 2023 Top 40 update to the 2022 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count. Watch for the full 2023 ranking in June.
At 7-Eleven, he drove fresh food and proprietary beverage growth by setting the menu strategy, developing customer-centric foodservice platforms, improving core products, renewing the company’s manufacturing infrastructure and leveraging delivery.
Wingstop, the nearly 2,000-unit, almost-fully-franchised chain, has a target of reaching 7,000 units globally, including about 4,000 in the United States and another 3,000 internationally.
“I’m excited to have Raj join the Wingstop team as we embark on our next phase of growth,” said Michael Skipworth, Wingstop’s president and CEO, in announcing the appointment. “Our international business has incredible momentum, and I’m confident Raj’s leadership will further support our vision of scaling to more than 3,000 international units and becoming a Top 10 global restaurant brand.”
Wingstop also said it has opened its first restaurant in South Korea, where the company said there is the potential to operate 200 to 250 units. Wingstop operates in eight other markets globally.
Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 83,000 convenience stores in 19 countries and regions, including more than 13,000 7-Eleven convenience stores in the United States and Canada. In addition, it operates and franchises Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits locations. 7-Eleven has not responded to CSP requests for comment.
A version of this story first appeared in Restaurant Business Online.
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