Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In
Article

Shake Shack & Wingstop’s 2024 Success

Find out how Shake Shack and Wingstop performed throughout 2024 - and what factors led to their success.

By 
Bracha Arnold
February 5, 2025
Shake Shack & Wingstop’s 2024 Success
SHARE
Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
Key Takeaways
  • Quarterly visits to both Shake Shack and Wingstop grew on a year-over-year (YoY) basis, with visits in Q4 2024 elevated by 16.8% and 11.6%, respectively, relative to the same period of 2023.
  • Both chains have concentrated on expanding their suburban presence, and looking at visitor demographics highlights a steady increase in the share of suburban consumers in their trade areas.
  • Both chains leaned on limited-time offers and specials to drive visits – Shake Shack’s winter burger special drove visits up by 24.4% relative to the 2024 weekly visit average, while Wingstop’s National Chicken Wing Day special led to a 17.2% increase in visits.

Shake Shack and Wingstop, two major names in the fast-casual and quick-service restaurant category, have had a standout year. Both chains enjoyed impressive visits while executing wide-ranging expansion strategies. 

We dive into the location analytics for both brands to recap 2024’s success.

Elevated Visits Across the Board

Shake Shack and Wingstop performed extremely well in 2024, with visits up 21.7% and 23.0%, respectively, compared to 2023 – thanks in large part to aggressive fleet expansions. Both chains enjoyed their strongest year-over-year (YoY) visit growth in the first half of the year, with H1 2024 visits to Shake Shack up 26.0% and to Wingstop up 28.7% compared to the same period in 2023. And while growth slowed down slightly towards the end of 2024, the two brands still ended the year with 16.8% (Shake Shack) and 11.6% (Wingstop) Q4 YoY visit growth – quite an impressive metric, especially given the wider dining headwinds.  

Suburban Growth

Shake Shack and Wingstop are both in the midst of aggressive fleet expansions: Shake Shack opened 42 new locations and plans to triple that number in the coming years, while Wingstop added at least 138 new locations and also plans on adding hundreds of new stores in the coming years. Both companies have made suburban expansion a central focus of their growth strategies, and psychographic shifts in their captured markets over the past five years suggest this approach is working. Analyzing the chains’ visitor bases using the Esri: Tapestry dataset combined with Placer.ai captured market data reveals that Shake Shack increased the share of “Suburban Periphery” visitors in its trade area from 43.8% in 2019 to 45.4% in 2024. The share of the “Suburban Periphery” segment in Wingstop’s trade area rose from 23.8% to 24.9% during the same period. Wingstop also saw a decline in its share of “Urban Periphery” visitors while the share of the “Principal Urban Center” segment in both chains’ trade areas decreased during the analyzed period – further indicating growth in suburban markets.As more people migrate to the suburbs, offering convenient dining options outside of city centers is likely to remain a winning strategy for both chains.

LTOs: A Recipe for Success

While expansions helped drive the overall visit numbers up, the two chains also received several traffic spikes throughout the year driven by limited time offers (LTOs) and special menu launches. This strategy has recently proven successful for a number of QSR and fast-casual chains – Wendy’s, for example, finished 2024 with a 2.8% YoY increase in Q4 visits (0.7% YoY increase for 2024 as a whole) thanks in large part to its Krabby Patty Kollab LTO.  Shake Shack received the most significant visit increase relative to its 2024 weekly visit average during its holiday special which included offers of free burgers every day from mid-December through Christmas Eve. Diners eagerly responded to the promotion, with weekly visits surging by 24.4% during the week of December 16th, 2024 relative to 2024’s weekly average. Similarly, Wingstop’s National Wing Day promo led to a 17.2% visit increase over the week of July 30th. Other promotional activities also influenced visits at these dining chains. For example, Shake Shack’s summer barbecue menu, which included a unique perk – a limited offer of “stain insurance” for customers who got excess BBQ sauce on their clothes – drove visits 13.8% higher than the weekly visit average. Similarly, Wingstop’s Summer of Flavor bundle drove visits to the chain during the week of July 22nd, 2024 by 6.6% relative to the 2024 weekly visit average. These promotions highlight the importance of creating buzz and offering exclusive deals to attract both new and returning customers.

Moving and Shaking

Both Shake Shack and Wingstop enjoyed impressive visits in 2024 while expanding their fleets – but can the two chains continue this success into 2025? Visit Placer.ai/blog to keep up with the latest data-driven dining insights.

Learn how downtown regions across US cities are measuring up with our free tools.
Check out the latest trends for
Stay Anchored: Subscribe to Insider & Unlock more  Insights
Subscribe
SHARE
Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week
Subscribe to the newsletter
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
INSIDER
Stay Anchored: Subscribe to Insider & Unlock more Foot Traffic Insights
Gain insider insights with our in-depth analytics crafted by industry experts
— giving you the knowledge and edge to stay ahead.
Subscribe
Text Link
Shake Shack
Text Link
Wingstop
Text Link
Wendy's
What's In Store For Back to School 2025? 
Placer.ai May 2025 Office Index 
Local Eats on the Rise
Living Inside America’s Oldest Enclosed Mall: Arcade Providence and the Promise of Mixed-Use
Burger King’s Fire-Breathing LTO Drives Visits
Placer.ai Mall Index: May 2025 & Memorial Day Strength
Coach Keeps Visits Up
DICK’s Sporting Goods Expands Its Audience Reach with Foot Locker Acquisition
Darden Restaurants: Raising the Steaks in 2025
Much Ado About Store Size
Discount & Dollar Stores Emerge as a Front Runner in 2025 
What Can Pharmacy Chains Gain From Rite Aid’s Closures?
Jagalchi Food Hall Opens at Serramonte Center and Crowds Follow
Memorial Day 2025 Consumer Traffic Recap 
Five Below and Ollie’s Continued Foot Traffic Success
Kohl’s: Bright Spots to Build On?
Gauging the Tariff Impact on Manufacturing – May 2025 Update 
Wayfair at Year One – A Go-To Furniture Destination Spot
Who Attended the 2025 Kentucky Derby?
Lululemon and DICK’s: Scoring Big With Celebs and Events
Gap & Ulta Traffic Rebound After Tough Start to 2025
Can Chili’s Repeat its 2024 Success in 2025? 
Dollar Stores: Stability in The New Year
How Did Consumers Celebrate Mother's Day 2025?
Off-Price And On Point
Department Stores in 2025: A Mid-Year Recap
Boot Barn Still Growing in 2025
Wholesale Clubs Find Success in Q1 2025 
Lowe’s and The Home Depot: Weathering Q1 Storms and Looking to the Horizon
QSR Q1 2025 Final Thoughts
Placer.ai April 2025 Office Index: Recovery Apace
How Are Coachella Crowds Evolving? 
Broad Pickins’ for Big Chicken
Placer.ai Mall Index: Traffic Up Across All Mall Formats 
The Untapped Potential of Class-B Malls 
First Watch Traffic Continues to Climb 
Warby Parker and Allbirds: Stabilization Trends Into 2025
Resilience 5 Years Post-Covid:  Spotlight on Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Self-Storage: Resilience in 2025
Aldi & Lidl's Winning Formula
Dutch Bros Gains, But Starbucks Holds Top Spot
Love in the Time of Bookstores
CAVA and sweetgreen Take to the Suburbs
The Impact of QSR Promotions in Q1 2025
Sinners Fuels Movie Theater Momentum
Health-Centric Grocers Lead the Way 
Crafting a Goodbye: What Location Analytics Reveals About JOANN’s Departure
All The Things I Think I Think About Retail Over The Last Quarter
What Visitation Data Reveals About Industrial Manufacturing Demand Ahead of Tariffs
McDonald’s & Chipotle Q1 2025 Recap
Location Intelligence On Display: A Look at Los Angeles's Top Museums
3 Insights Into the Shopping Habits of Older Consumers 
Placer 100 Index, March 2025 Recap – Which Chains Weathered the Storm? 
The Post-Pandemic Retail Evolution: A look back on the last five years
Orlando Theme Park Wars Heat Up 
Albertsons Analysis: Stable Start to 2025
What Visitation Data Reveals About Consumer Behavior Ahead of Tariff Implementation
Block-Buster Alert: A Minecraft Movie Placer Byte
Placer.ai March 2025 Office Index: Back to Recovery
Q1 2025 Quick-Service and Fast-Casual Recap
Retail & Dining Q1 2025 Recap: Budget-Friendly Segments Shine 
Placer.ai March 2025 Mall Index: Visits Rebound 
Meal Prep Madness: Wild Fork Foods and Clean Eatz
Dave & Buster’s Ups Its Game
Coffee Visits: Perks in The Segment 
The Dining Habits of College Students
Old Navy's Foray Into Occasionwear
JonasCon Brings Even More Experiential to American Dream 
What Happened to Family Dollar? 
The Impending Transformation of Bev-Alc Retail
CVS and Walgreens in 2025
Target’s Bet on Babies 
The Changing Apparel Landscape in 2025
Trader Joe’s and Aldi’s Continued Success
Retailers Betting on High Income Households
Brooks Brothers Rightsizing Success
The Rise of Smaller-Format Home Improvement Retailers: How Ace Hardware and Harbor Freight Are Outpacing Big-Box Chains
Walmart’s Mall Purchase: Towards a More Diversified Portfolio 
Placer.ai Named One of America’s Best Startup Employers 2025 by Forbes
Darden Weathers the Storm
Diving Into Breakfast Chains: What “Eggs”actly is Going On With Eggs Right Now? 
Placer 100 Index, February 2025 Recap 
Why Chipotle’s 2025 Outlook Looks Conservative
Sportswear in the New Year
Placer.ai February 2025 Office Index: Is The Recovery Stalling? 
Discount and Dollar Stores in a Strong Position to Start 2025
Placer.ai Mall Index: February 2025
Allbirds: Flying Towards New Opportunities
Beauty Retail: Changes, and Challenges Ahead
Who Attends the Super Bowl and the Daytona 500?
The $1B Question: Why Dave’s Hot Chicken Is a QSR Powerhouse
Kroger’s Grocery Dominance in 2025
Walmart Goes to the Mall: Insights From the Monroeville Acquisition
Gap Inc. in 2025 – Recapping 2024 and Uncovering Banana Republic’s Athleisure Opportunity 
Department Stores Providing Value in Today’s Retail Landscape
Dine Brands Maintains Their Broad Appeal
Best Buy: Fully Charged for 2025
Shopping Centers Provide Havens for Residents Affected by the LA Fires
National Retail Chains Utilize Stores to Support LA Fire Relief Efforts
Dutch Bros. & Sprouts: Beverage-Led Success