Preliminary Prospectus Supplement
Table of Contents

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3)
Registration Number 333-212393

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell nor do they seek an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 2, 2016

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

To Prospectus dated July 18, 2016

6,765,858 Shares

 

 

LOGO

Common Stock

 

 

This prospectus supplement relates to the shares of common stock of Wingstop Inc. being sold by the selling stockholder identified in this prospectus supplement. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares being sold by the selling stockholder.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “WING.” We are an “emerging growth company” as that term is used in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and are subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. On November 1, 2016, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $26.12 per share.

 

 

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” on page S-3 of this prospectus supplement, beginning on page 2 of the accompanying prospectus and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 26, 2015, or our Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2016, as well as the other information contained in such Form 10-K (which Form 10-K is incorporated by reference herein) to read about factors you should consider before making a decision to invest in our common stock.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

The underwriter has agreed to purchase the shares of our common stock from the selling stockholder at a price of $         per share, which will result in $         of proceeds to the selling stockholder before expenses. The underwriter proposes to offer the shares of common stock from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on the Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. See “Underwriting.”

The underwriter expects to deliver the shares against payment in New York, New York on                 , 2016.

 

 

Morgan Stanley

 

 

Prospectus Supplement dated                 , 2016.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

     S-ii   

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

     S-1   

RISK FACTORS

     S-3   

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     S-7   

USE OF PROCEEDS

     S-9   

MARKET PRICE OF COMMON STOCK

     S-10   

DIVIDEND POLICY

     S-11   

SELLING STOCKHOLDER

     S-12   

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS

     S-13   

UNDERWRITING

     S-17   

LEGAL MATTERS

     S-23   

EXPERTS

     S-23   

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

     S-23   

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     S-23   
Prospectus   

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     ii   

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     ii   

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     1   

RISK FACTORS

     2   

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     3   

USE OF PROCEEDS

     4   

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

     5   

SELLING STOCKHOLDER

     10   

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     11   

LEGAL MATTERS

     14   

EXPERTS

     14   

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document has two parts, a prospectus supplement and an accompanying prospectus dated July 18, 2016. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the selling stockholders named in a prospectus supplement over time may offer and sell our common stock in one or more offerings or resales.

The accompanying prospectus provides you with a general description of our common stock, which the selling stockholder may offer pursuant to this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement, which describes certain matters relating to us and the specific terms of this offering of shares of our common stock, adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein. Please carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any applicable pricing supplement, in addition to the information contained in the documents we refer to under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.” If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement.

Throughout this prospectus, when we use the terms “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms, we are referring to Wingstop Inc. and its subsidiaries, collectively, as the context requires. The term “selling stockholder” refers to RC II WS LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, or RC II WS.

We have not authorized anyone to give you any information or to make any representations about our common stock or any offers by our selling stockholder, other than those contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus prepared by us. If you are given any information or representation about these matters that is not discussed in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus, you must not rely on that information. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is not an offer to sell anywhere or to anyone where or to whom the selling stockholder is not permitted to offer to sell securities under applicable law.

The selling stockholder is offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the offering of the common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and the distribution of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.

You should not assume that the information incorporated by reference or provided in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any free writing prospectus prepared by us is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY

The following summary does not contain all the information that may be important to purchasers of our common stock. You should carefully read the entire prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the financial statements, notes to financial statements and other information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement before making any investment decision.

OVERVIEW

Wingstop is a high-growth franchisor and operator of restaurants that offer cooked-to-order, hand-sauced and tossed chicken wings.

We believe we pioneered the concept of wings as a “center-of-the-plate” item for all of our meal occasions. While other concepts include wings as add-on menu items or focus on wings in a bar or sports-centric setting, we are singularly focused on wings, fries and sides, which generate approximately 90% of our system-wide sales.

We offer 11 bold, distinctive and craveable flavors on our bone-in and boneless chicken wings paired with hand-cut, seasoned fries and sides made fresh daily. Our menu is highly-customizable for different dining occasions, and we believe it delivers a compelling value proposition for groups, families, and individuals. We have broad and growing consumer appeal anchored by a sought after core demographic of 18-34 year old Millennials, which we believe is a loyal consumer group that dines at fast casual restaurants more frequently.

Founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, we have sold approximately 4 billion wings since our inception. Today, Wingstop is the largest fast casual chicken wings-focused restaurant chain in the world and has demonstrated strong, consistent growth. As of September 24, 2016, we had a total of 949 restaurants across 40 states and five countries in our system. Our restaurant base is 98% franchised, with 929 franchised locations (including 67 international locations) and 20 company-owned restaurants.

CORPORATE AND OTHER INFORMATION

The first Wingstop restaurant opened in July 1994. Our operating company, Wingstop Restaurants Inc., was incorporated in November 1996 and began offering franchises for Wingstop restaurants in May 1997. The first franchised restaurant opened in April 1998. On April 9, 2010, Wingstop Holdings, Inc., the holding company for Wingstop Restaurants Inc., was acquired by Wing Stop Holding Corporation. Wingstop Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on March 18, 2015, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wing Stop Holding Corporation. On May 28, 2015, Wing Stop Holding Corporation merged with and into Wingstop Inc., with Wingstop Inc. as the surviving corporation in the merger.

Our principal executive offices are located at 5501 LBJ Freeway, 5th Floor, Dallas, Texas 75240, and our telephone number at that address is (972) 686-6500. Our website is located at www.wingstop.com. Our website, and the information on our website, is neither part of this prospectus nor incorporated by reference herein.

 



 

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The Offering

 

Common stock offered by the selling stockholder


6,765,858 shares.

 

Common stock outstanding after this offering

28,747,392 shares.

 

Use of proceeds

We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of any shares of our common stock offered by the selling stockholder.

 

Risk factors

You should carefully read and consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-3 in this prospectus supplement, beginning on page 2 in the accompanying prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K, before investing in our common stock.

 

Dividend policy

We currently expect to retain all future earnings, if any, for use in the operation and expansion of our business. While we recently paid a special dividend to holders of our common stock, we do not anticipate paying cash dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. In addition, our credit agreement restricts our ability to pay dividends. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and covenants in our existing financing arrangements and any future financing arrangements.

 

NASDAQ symbol

“WING.”

Unless otherwise indicated, the number of shares of our common stock outstanding after this offering excludes:

 

    872,722 shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of outstanding stock options as of September 24, 2016 with a weighted average exercise price of $5.10 per share; and

 

    2,034,109 shares of our common stock reserved for the future issuance, as of September 24, 2016, under our 2015 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan, or the 2015 Plan.

 



 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the specific risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement and under the caption “Risk Factors” in any of our filings with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2015, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2016, which is on file with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. If any of these risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties that are not yet identified or that we currently think are immaterial, actually occur, our business, results of operations or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. In such an event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.

Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of our Common Stock

Following completion of this offering Roark will no longer own shares of our common stock, and as of March 14, 2016, we are no longer a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of Nasdaq. However, during the phase-in period we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to stockholders of other companies.

As of March 14, 2016, Roark no longer controlled a majority of our outstanding common stock. Based on the number of outstanding common stock as of November 1, 2016, Roark owns approximately 23.6% of our outstanding common stock and, after completion of this offering, will not own any of our common stock. Prior to the consummation of our offering of common stock in March 2016, we were a “controlled company” under Nasdaq corporate governance listing standards. As a controlled company, we were exempt under Nasdaq listing standards from the obligation to comply with certain of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements, including the requirements:

 

    that a majority of our board of directors consist of independent directors, as defined under the rules of Nasdaq;

 

    that we have a corporate governance and nominating committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and

 

    that we have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.

Since Roark no longer owns more than 50% of the total voting power of our common stock, we are no longer a “controlled company” within the meaning of the rules of Nasdaq. Under Nasdaq rules, a company that ceases to be a controlled company must comply with the independent board committee requirements as they relate to the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees on the following phase-in schedule: (1) one independent committee member at the time it ceases to be a controlled company, (2) a majority of independent committee members within 90 days of the date it ceases to be a controlled company and (3) all independent committee members within one year of the date it ceases to be a controlled company. Additionally, Nasdaq rules provide a 12-month phase-in period from the date a company ceases to be a controlled company to comply with the majority independent board requirement. Currently, three of the seven members of our board of directors are members of Roark Capital Management, which is an affiliate of Roark. During these phase-in periods, our stockholders will not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies of which the majority of directors are independent. Additionally, if, within the phase-in periods, we are not able to recruit additional directors who would qualify as independent, or otherwise comply with Nasdaq rules, we may be subject to enforcement actions by Nasdaq. Furthermore, a change in our board of directors and committee membership may result in a change in corporate strategy and operation philosophies, and may result in deviations from our current growth strategy.

 

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Our stock price may be volatile or may decline regardless of our operating performance, and you may not be able to resell your shares at or above the public offering price.

The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, most of which we cannot control, including those described under “—Risks Related to Our Business” in the section titled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, which is incorporated by reference herein, and the following:

 

    potential fluctuation in our annual or quarterly operating results;

 

    changes in capital market conditions that could affect valuations of restaurant companies in general or our goodwill in particular or other adverse economic conditions;

 

    changes in financial estimates by any securities analysts who follow our common stock, our failure to meet these estimates or failure of those analysts to initiate or maintain coverage of our common stock;

 

    downgrades by any securities analysts who follow our common stock;

 

    future sales of our common stock by our officers, directors and significant stockholders;

 

    global economic, legal and regulatory factors unrelated to our performance;

 

    investors’ perceptions of our prospects;

 

    announcements by us or our competitors of significant contracts, acquisitions, joint ventures or capital commitments; and

 

    investor perceptions of the investment opportunity associated with our common stock relative to other investment alternatives.

In addition, the stock markets, and in particular Nasdaq, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have affected and continue to affect the market prices of equity securities of many food service companies. In the past, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation following periods of market volatility. If we were involved in securities litigation, we could incur substantial costs and our resources and the attention of management could be diverted from our business.

Future sales of our common stock, or the perception in the public markets that these sales may occur, may depress our stock price.

Sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market after this offering, or the perception that these sales could occur, could adversely affect the price of our common stock and could impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional shares. The shares of common stock offered in this offering will be freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act, except for any shares of our common stock that may be held or acquired by our directors, executive officers and other affiliates, as that term is defined in the Securities Act, which will be restricted securities under the Securities Act. Restricted securities may not be sold in the public market unless the sale is registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from registration is available.

We and each of our officers and directors have agreed, subject to certain exceptions, with the underwriter not to dispose of or hedge any of the shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock during the period from the date of this prospectus supplement continuing through the date 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, except, in our case, for the issuance of common stock upon exercise of options under existing option plans. Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC may, in its sole discretion, release any of these shares from these restrictions at any time without notice. See “Underwriting.”

All of our shares of common stock outstanding as of the date of this prospectus may be sold in the public market by existing stockholders 30 days after the date of this prospectus, subject to applicable volume and other limitations imposed under federal securities laws and subject to the transfer restrictions of certain stockholders set forth in stock transfer restriction agreements.

 

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Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.

Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control or changes in our management. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws include provisions that:

 

    authorize our board of directors to issue, without further action by the stockholders, up to 15,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock;

 

    require that any action to be taken by our stockholders be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting and not by written consent;

 

    specify that special meetings of our stockholders can be called only upon the request of a majority of our board of directors;

 

    establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors;

 

    establish that our board of directors is divided into three classes, with each class serving three-year staggered terms; and

 

    prohibit cumulative voting in the election of directors.

These provisions may frustrate or prevent any attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management by making it more difficult for stockholders to replace members of our board of directors, which is responsible for appointing the members of our management, and may discourage, delay or prevent a transaction involving a change of control of our company that is in the best interest of our minority stockholders. Even in the absence of a takeover attempt, the existence of these provisions may adversely affect the prevailing market price of our common stock if they are viewed as discouraging future takeover attempts. In addition, because we are incorporated in Delaware, we have opted out of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which we refer to as the DGCL, but our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder (any stockholder with 15% or more of our capital stock) for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder is prohibited, subject to certain exceptions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL, except that they provide RC II WS, any affiliated investment entity and any of their respective direct or indirect transferees of at least 15% of our outstanding common stock and any group as to which such persons are party to, do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation designates the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers and employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each case subject to the Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. Any person purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to this provision of our amended and

 

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restated certificate of incorporation. This choice of forum provision may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. Stockholders who do bring a claim in the Court of Chancery could face additional litigation costs in pursuing any such claim, particularly if they do not reside in or near Delaware. The Court of Chancery may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments or results may be more favorable to us than to our stockholders. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations.

We do not expect to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future following this offering.

The continued operation and expansion of our business may require substantial funding. Accordingly, we do not anticipate that we will pay any cash dividends on shares of our common stock for the foreseeable future following this offering. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, including our senior secured credit facility and other indebtedness we may incur, restrictions imposed by applicable law and other factors our board of directors deems relevant.

If securities analysts or industry analysts downgrade our shares, publish negative research or reports, or cease to publish reports about our business, our share price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us, our business and our industry. If one or more analysts adversely change their recommendation regarding our shares or our competitors’ stock, our share price would likely decline. If one or more analysts cease coverage of us or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause our share price or trading volume to decline. As a result, the market price for our common stock may decline below the offering price and you might not be able to resell your shares of our common stock at or above the offering price.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement contain statements about future events and expectations that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future financial and operating performance and growth plans, taking into account the information currently available to us. These statements are not statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations of future results we express or imply in any forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Factors that could contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

    overall macroeconomic conditions may impact our ability to successfully execute our growth strategy and franchise and open new restaurants that are profitable and to increase our revenue and operating profits;

 

    the impact of the operating results of our and our franchisees’ existing restaurants on our financial performance;

 

    the impact of new restaurant openings on our financial performance;

 

    our ability to recruit and contract with qualified franchisees and to open new franchise restaurants;

 

    our ability to develop and maintain the Wingstop brand, including through effective advertising and marketing and the support of our franchisees’ and the negative impact of actions of a franchisee, acting as an independent third party, could have on our financial performance or brand;

 

    concerns regarding food safety and food-borne illness and other health concerns;

 

    our and our franchisees’ reliance on vendors, suppliers and distributors or changes in food and supply costs, including any increase in the prices of the ingredients most critical to our menu, particularly bone-in chicken wings;

 

    our and our franchisees’ ability to compete with many other restaurants and to increase domestic same store sales and average weekly sales;

 

    our ability to successfully meet or exceed the expectations of securities analysts or investors concerning our annual or quarterly operating results, domestic same store sales or average weekly sales;

 

    our expansion into new markets may present increased risks due to our unfamiliarity with those areas;

 

    the reliability of our, our franchisees’ and our licensees’ information technology systems and network security, including costs resulting from breaches of security of confidential guest, franchisee or employee information;

 

    legal complaints, litigation or regulatory compliance, including changes in laws impacting the franchise business model;

 

    our and our franchisees’ ability to attract and retain qualified employees while also controlling labor costs;

 

    publicity regarding other franchisors controlled by Roark;

 

    potential fluctuations in our annual or quarterly operating results and the impact of significant adverse weather conditions and other disasters;

 

    disruptions in our and our franchisees’ ability to utilize computer systems to process transactions and manage our business;

 

    health concerns arising from outbreaks of viruses, including the impact of a pandemic spread of avian flu on our and our franchisees’ supply of chicken;

 

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    our and our franchisees’ ability to obtain and maintain required licenses and permits or to comply with alcoholic beverage or food control regulations;

 

    our ability to maintain insurance that provides adequate levels of coverage against claims;

 

    our and our franchisees’ ability to successfully operate in unfamiliar markets and markets where there may be limited or no market recognition of our brand, including the impact that our expansion into international markets has on our exposure to risk factors over which neither we nor our franchisees have control;

 

    the potential impact opening new restaurants in existing markets could have on sales at existing restaurants;

 

    the effectiveness of our advertising and marketing campaigns, which may not be successful;

 

    food safety issues, which may adversely impact our or our franchisees’ business;

 

    changes in consumer preferences, including changes caused by diet and health concerns or government regulation;

 

    the continued service of our executive officers;

 

    our ability to successfully open new franchised Wingstop restaurants for which we have signed commitments;

 

    our stated sales to investment ratio and average unlevered cash-on-cash return may not be indicative of future results of any new franchised restaurant;

 

    our ability to protect our intellectual property;

 

    our ability to generate or raise capital on acceptable terms in the future, including our ability to incur additional debt and other restrictions under the terms of our existing senior secured credit facility;

 

    the JOBS Act allowing us to postpone the date by which we must comply with certain laws and regulations intended to protect investors and to reduce the amount of information we provide in our reports filed with the SEC;

 

    the costs and time requirements as a result of operating as a public company, including our ability to effectively remediate identified material weaknesses and improve internal control over financial reporting in order to comply with applicable reporting obligations;

 

    fluctuations in exchange rates on our revenue;

 

    future impairment charges;

 

    the concentration of ownership by our principal stockholder;

 

    the loss of our “controlled company” exemptions under Nasdaq listing standards; and

 

    the impact of anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law, which could make an acquisition of us more difficult, limit attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management and limit the market price of our common stock.

Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “continues,” “estimates,” “expects,” “goal,” “objectives,” “intends,” “may,” “opportunity,” “plans,” “potential,” “near-term,” “long-term,” “projections,” “assumptions,” “projects,” “guidance,” “forecasts,” “outlook,” “target,” “trends,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. We qualify any forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement entirely by our risk factors and other cautionary factors included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements we make. We assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

The selling stockholder will receive all of the proceeds offered by this prospectus supplement. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholder.

 

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MARKET PRICE OF COMMON STOCK

Our common stock has been listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “WING” since June 12, 2015. Before then, there was no public market for our common stock. On November 1, 2016, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $26.12.

The following table sets forth, for the period indicated, the high and low sales prices of our common stock as reported by Nasdaq.

 

Period

   High      Low  

2016:

     

Fourth Quarter (through November 1, 2016)

   $ 29.83       $ 26.11   

Third Quarter

   $ 33.10       $ 25.24   

Second Quarter

   $ 28.67       $ 22.01   

First Quarter

   $ 26.42       $ 20.73   

2015:

     

Fourth Quarter

   $ 28.98       $ 20.31   

Third Quarter

   $ 35.96       $ 24.72   

Second Quarter (from June 12, 2015)

   $ 31.99       $ 27.00   

On November 1, 2016, we had approximately 16 holders of record of our common stock. The actual number of stockholders is greater than this number of record holders, and includes stockholders who are beneficial owners but whose shares are held in street name by brokers and other nominees.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

During the fiscal years 2015, 2013 and 2012, we paid cash dividends in the aggregate amounts of $48.0 million, $38.5 million and $19.3 million, respectively, to our stockholders. In addition, on July 15, 2016, we paid a special cash dividend of $2.90 per share, an aggregate payment of approximately $83.2 million, to holders of our common stock of record as of July 12, 2016.

We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to fund the development and growth of our business and to repay indebtedness. While we recently paid a special dividend to holders of our common stock, we do not anticipate paying cash dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Additionally, our ability to pay dividends on our common stock is limited by restrictions on the ability of our subsidiaries and us to pay dividends or make distributions to us under the terms of the agreements governing our indebtedness. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors, subject to compliance with covenants in current and future agreements governing our indebtedness, and will depend upon our results of operations, financial condition, capital requirements and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.

Accordingly, you may need to sell your shares of our common stock to realize a return on your investment, and you may not be able to sell your shares at or above the price you paid for them. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of our Common Stock—We do not expect to pay any cash dividends for the foreseeable future following this offering.”

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDER

The table below sets forth information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock held by the selling stockholder as of November 1, 2016.

Beneficial ownership for the purposes of the following table is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. These rules generally provide that a person is the beneficial owner of securities if such person has or shares the power to vote or direct the voting thereof, or to dispose or direct the disposition thereof or has the right to acquire such powers within 60 days. Percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 28,747,392 shares of common stock outstanding as of November 1, 2016. Except as disclosed in the footnotes to this table and subject to applicable community property laws, we believe that the selling stockholder identified in the table possesses sole voting and investment power over all shares of common stock shown as beneficially owned by the selling stockholder.

 

     Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned
     Percentage of Shares
Outstanding
     Number of
Shares to be
Sold in
The Offering
 
     Before
Offering
     After
Offering
     Before
Offering
     After
Offering
    

Principal and Selling Stockholder:

              

RC II WS LLC (1)

     6,765,858         —           23.6%         —           6,765,858   

 

(1) RC II WS LLC directly owns 6,765,858 shares of common stock. RC II WS LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, is controlled by Roark Capital Partners II, LP, a Delaware limited partnership. Roark Capital Partners II, LP is controlled by its general partner, Roark Capital GenPar II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is in turn controlled by its managing member, Neal K. Aronson, who has served as chairman of our board of directors since February 2015 and served as a member of our compensation committee through May 18, 2016. Each of Roark Capital Partners II, LP, Roark Capital GenPar II, LLC and Mr. Aronson may be deemed to have voting and dispositive power with respect to the common stock directly owned by RC II WS LLC and therefore be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the common stock held by RC II WS LLC, but each disclaim beneficial ownership of such common stock. The principal business address of each of the entities and persons identified in this paragraph is c/o Roark Capital Management, LLC, 1180 Peachtree Street, Suite 2500, Atlanta, GA, 30309.

 

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MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS

Overview

The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock to a non-U.S. holder that purchases shares of our common stock in this offering. For purposes of this summary, a “non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our common stock that is not a “U.S. person” or a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. person is any of the following:

 

    an individual citizen or resident of the United States;

 

    a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;

 

    an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or

 

    a trust (1) whose administration is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (2) that has a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

In the case of a holder that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the tax treatment of a partner in such partnership generally will depend upon the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. If you are a partner in a partnership holding our common stock, then you should consult your own tax advisor.

This summary is based upon the provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which we refer to as the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof. Those authorities may be changed, perhaps retroactively, so as to result in U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those summarized below. We cannot assure you that a change in law, possibly with retroactive application, will not alter significantly the tax consequences described in this summary. We have not sought and do not plan to seek any ruling from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which we refer to as the IRS, with respect to the statements and conclusions set forth in the following summary, and there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will agree with such statements and conclusions.

This summary does not address all aspects of U.S. federal income taxes that may be relevant to non-U.S. holders in light of their personal circumstances, and does not address federal taxes other than the U.S. federal income tax, or address state, local or non-U.S. tax considerations. Special rules, not discussed here, may apply to certain non-U.S. holders, including (without limitation):

 

    U.S. expatriates or former citizens or long-term residents of the United States;

 

    controlled foreign corporations;

 

    passive foreign investment companies; and

 

    pass-through entities (or investors in such entities) that are subject to special treatment under the Code.

Such non-U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors to determine the U.S. federal, state, local and other tax consequences that may be relevant to them.

This summary applies only to a non-U.S. holder that holds our common stock as a capital asset (within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code).

If you are considering the purchase of our common stock, you should consult your own tax advisor concerning the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences to you of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock, as well as the consequences to you arising under U.S. tax laws other than the federal income tax laws or under the laws of any other taxing jurisdiction.

 

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Dividends

As discussed under the section entitled “Dividend Policy” above, we do not currently anticipate paying any dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. If we make a distribution of cash or property (other than certain distributions of our common stock) with respect to our common stock (or complete a redemption that is treated as a distribution with respect to our common stock), such distribution will be treated as a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Dividends paid to you generally will be subject to withholding of U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) of the gross amount of the dividends. However, dividends that are effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by you within the United States and, in cases in which certain tax treaties require, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment maintained by you, are not subject to the withholding tax, but instead are subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at applicable graduated individual or corporate rates. Certain certification and disclosure requirements including delivery of a properly executed IRS Form W-8ECI must be satisfied for effectively connected income to be exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax. Any such effectively connected dividends received by a foreign corporation may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.

If the amount of a distribution paid on our common stock exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, such excess will be allocated ratably among each share of common stock with respect to which the distribution is paid and treated first as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of your adjusted tax basis in each such share, and thereafter as capital gain from a sale or other taxable disposition of such share of common stock that is taxed to you as described below under the heading “Gain on Disposition of Common Stock.” Your adjusted tax basis in a share of our common stock is generally the purchase price of such share, reduced by the amount of any such tax-free returns of capital.

If you wish to claim the benefit of an applicable income tax treaty to avoid or reduce withholding of U.S. federal income tax on dividends, then you must (i) provide the withholding agent with a properly completed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable form) and certify under penalties of perjury that you are not a U.S. person and are eligible for treaty benefits, or (ii) if you hold our common stock through certain foreign intermediaries (including partnerships), satisfy the relevant certification requirements of applicable U.S. Treasury regulations by providing appropriate documentation to the intermediaries (which then will be required to provide certification to the applicable withholding agent, either directly or through other intermediaries).

If you are eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. federal income tax pursuant to an income tax treaty, then you may obtain a refund or credit of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim with the IRS. You should consult your tax advisor regarding your entitlement to benefits under any applicable income tax treaty.

Gain on Disposition of Common Stock

You generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax with respect to gain realized on the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock (other than a redemption that is treated as a distribution for U.S. federal income tax purposes and taxed as described above), unless:

 

    the gain is effectively connected with a trade or business you conduct in the United States, and, in cases in which certain tax treaties require, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment maintained by you;

 

    if you are an individual, you are present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of the sale or other taxable disposition, and you have a “tax home” (as defined in the Code) in the United States; or

 

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    we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time within the shorter of (i) the five-year period ending on the date of the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock and (ii) your holding period for our common stock.

If you are a non-U.S. holder described in the first bullet point above, you generally will be subject to tax on the net gain derived from the disposition under regular graduated U.S. federal income tax rates. If you are a foreign corporation described in the first bullet point above, you may also be subject to a branch profits tax equal to 30% of your effectively connected earnings and profits or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty. If you are an individual described in the second bullet point above, you will generally be subject to a flat 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) tax on the gain derived from the disposition, which may be offset by certain U.S. source capital losses (even though you are not considered a resident of the United States) but may not be offset by any capital loss carryovers.

With respect to the third bullet point above, we believe that we are not currently, and we do not anticipate becoming, a United States real property holding corporation. However, because the determination of whether we are a United States real property holding corporation depends on the fair market value of our United States real property interests relative to the fair market value of our global real property interests and other business assets, there can be no assurance that we are not a United States real property holding corporation and will not become one in the future. In the event we do become a United States real property holding corporation, as long as our common stock is regularly traded on an established securities market, gain on a sale or disposition of our common stock will generally be subject to taxation pursuant to the third bullet point above only if you actually or constructively held more than 5% of our common stock at any time during the shorter of (i) the five-year period ending on the date of the sale or disposition of our common stock or (ii) your holding period for our common stock. If gain on the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock were subject to taxation under the third bullet point above, you would be subject to regular U.S. federal income tax with respect to such gain in generally the same manner as a U.S. person.

You should consult your tax advisor regarding potentially applicable income tax treaties that provide for different rules.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding Tax

We must report annually to the IRS and to you the amount of dividends paid to you and the amount of tax, if any, withheld with respect to such dividends. The IRS may make this information available to the tax authorities in the country in which you are resident.

In addition, you may be subject to information reporting requirements and backup withholding (currently at a rate of 28%) with respect to dividends paid on, and the proceeds from the disposition of, shares of our common stock, unless, generally, you certify to the withholding agent under penalties of perjury (usually on IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E) that you are not a U.S. person or you otherwise establish an exemption.

Copies of information returns that are filed with the IRS may also be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which you reside (or are established).

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against your U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished by you to the IRS.

 

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Additional Withholding Tax

Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code (commonly referred to as “FATCA”) generally will impose a 30% withholding tax on dividends paid on our common stock and, beginning after December 31, 2018, gross proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our common stock, in each case if the common stock is held by or through:

 

    certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless the institution otherwise qualifies for an exemption or enters into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury (i) to collect and report, on an annual basis, information with respect to accounts in the institution held by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons, and (ii) to withhold 30% on certain payments; or

 

    a non-financial non-U.S. entity, unless the entity (i) either certifies to the applicable withholding agent or the IRS that the entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners” or (ii) otherwise establishes an exemption from such withholding tax.

The rules described above may be modified by an intergovernmental agreement entered into between the United States and an applicable foreign country, or by future Treasury regulations or other guidance. Non-U.S. holders are encouraged to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of these rules on their investment in our common stock.

POTENTIAL PURCHASERS OF OUR COMMON STOCK ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS TO DETERMINE THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. TAX CONSIDERATIONS OF PURCHASING, OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR COMMON STOCK.

 

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UNDERWRITING

Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is acting as underwriter of the offering. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in an underwriting agreement between us, the selling stockholder and the underwriter, the selling stockholder has agreed to sell to the underwriter, and the underwriter has agreed to purchase from the selling stockholder 6,765,858 shares of our common stock.

Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the underwriting agreement, the underwriter has agreed to purchase all of the shares sold under the underwriting agreement if any of these shares are purchased.

We and the selling stockholder have agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

The underwriter is offering the shares, subject to prior sale, when, as and if issued to and accepted by them, subject to approval of legal matters by their counsel, including the validity of the shares, and other conditions contained in the underwriting agreement, such as the receipt by the underwriter of officer’s certificates and legal opinions. The underwriter reserves the right to withdraw, cancel or modify offers to the public and to reject orders in whole or in part.

Commissions and Discounts

The underwriter is purchasing the shares of common stock from the selling stockholder at $         per share (representing approximately $         aggregate proceeds to the selling stockholder, before expenses). The underwriter may offer the shares of common stock from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on the Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock offered hereby, the underwriter may be deemed to have received compensation in the form of underwriting discounts. The underwriter may effect such transactions by selling shares of common stock to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriter and / or purchasers of shares of common stock for whom they may act as agents or to whom they may sell as principal.

The expenses of the offering, not including the underwriting discounts, are estimated at $      million and are payable by us. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriter for expenses relating to clearing of this offering with FINRA in an amount up to $30,000.

No Sales of Similar Securities

We and each of our executive officers and directors have agreed not to sell or transfer any common stock or securities convertible into, exchangeable for, exercisable for, or repayable with common stock, for 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, with certain limited exceptions, without first obtaining the written consent of the underwriter. This lock-up provision applies to common stock and to securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for or repayable with common stock. It also applies to common stock owned now or acquired later by the person executing the agreement or for which the person executing the agreement later acquires the power of disposition.

The shares are listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol “WING.”

Short Positions

In connection with the offering, the underwriter may purchase and sell our common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales and purchases on the open market to cover positions created

 

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by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriter of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering. “Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares described above. The underwriter may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares or purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out the covered short position, the underwriter will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the option granted to them. “Naked” short sales are sales in excess of such option. The underwriter must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriter is concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of our common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

Similar to other purchase transactions, the underwriter’s purchases to cover the syndicate short sales may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. The underwriter may conduct these transactions on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

None of us, the selling stockholder or the underwriter make any representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. In addition, neither we, the selling stockholder nor the underwriter make any representation that the underwriter will engage in these transactions or that these transactions, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Passive Market Making

In connection with this offering, the underwriter may engage in passive market making transactions in the common stock on the Nasdaq in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of common stock and extending through the completion of distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded. Passive market making may cause the price of our common stock to be higher than the price that otherwise would exist in the open market in the absence of those transactions. The underwriter is not required to engage in passive market making and may end passive market making activities at any time.

Electronic Distribution

In connection with the offering, the underwriter may distribute prospectuses by electronic means, such as e-mail.

Other Relationships

The underwriter and its affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. The underwriter has received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.

In addition, in the ordinary course of its business activities, the underwriter and its affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriter and its affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent

 

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research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

Selling Restrictions

European Economic Area

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area, no offer of ordinary shares which are the subject of the offering has been, or will be made to the public in that Member State, other than under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Directive:

(a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

(b) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the Representatives for any such offer; or

(c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive,

provided that no such offer of ordinary shares referred to in (a) to (c) above shall result in a requirement for the Company or any Representative to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive, or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 16 of the Prospectus Directive.

Each person located in a Member State to whom any offer of ordinary shares is made or who receives any communication in respect of an offer of ordinary shares, or who initially acquires any ordinary shares will be deemed to have represented, warranted, acknowledged and agreed to and with each Representative and the Company that (1) it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of the law in that Member State implementing Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive; and (2) in the case of any ordinary shares acquired by it as a financial intermediary as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, the ordinary shares acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Member State other than qualified investors, as that term is defined in the Prospectus Directive, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the Representatives has been given to the offer or resale; or where ordinary shares have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Member State other than qualified investors, the offer of those ordinary shares to it is not treated under the Prospectus Directive as having been made to such persons.

The Company, our representatives and their respective affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, acknowledgments and agreements.

This prospectus supplement has been prepared on the basis that any offer of shares in any Member State will be made pursuant to an exemption under the Prospectus Directive from the requirement to publish a prospectus for offers of shares. Accordingly any person making or intending to make an offer in that Member State of shares which are the subject of the offering contemplated in this prospectus may only do so in circumstances in which no obligation arises for the Company or any of the Representatives to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive in relation to such offer. Neither the Company nor the Representatives have authorized, nor do they authorize, the making of any offer of shares in circumstances in which an obligation arises for the Company or the Representatives to publish a prospectus for such offer.

For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer of ordinary shares to the public” in relation to any ordinary shares in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the ordinary shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the ordinary shares, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State, the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (as amended) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Member State.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

In addition, in the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the Prospectus Directive) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19 (5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the “Order”) and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). This document must not be acted on or relied on in the United Kingdom by persons who are not relevant persons. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is only available to, and will be engaged in with, relevant persons.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

The shares may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the shares or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company, the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of shares will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of shares has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of shares.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

This prospectus supplement relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus supplement is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus supplement nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus supplement. The shares to which this prospectus supplement relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the shares offered should conduct their own due diligence on the shares. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus supplement you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus supplement does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.

Any offer in Australia of the shares may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional

 

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investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the shares without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

The shares applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring shares must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.

This prospectus supplement contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus supplement is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The shares of common stock have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (a) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance; or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the shares of common stock have been or may be issued or has been or may be in the possession of any person for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares of common stock which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

The shares have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

This prospectus supplement has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of shares may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the shares be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

 

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Where the shares are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

(a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

(b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor,

securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

(a) to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

(b) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

(c) where the transfer is by operation of law;

(d) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or

(e) as specified in Regulation 32 of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Shares and Debentures) Regulations 2005 of Singapore.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada

The shares of common stock may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations . Any resale of the shares of common stock must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 (or, in the case of securities issued or guaranteed by the government of a non-Canadian jurisdiction, section 3A.4) of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriter is not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the shares of common stock being offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by our counsel, King & Spalding LLP. The underwriter has been represented in this offering by Latham  & Watkins LLP, New York, New York.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Wingstop Inc. and subsidiaries at December 26, 2015 and December 27, 2014 and for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended December 26, 2015 incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and Registration Statement have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon incorporated by reference herein, and are incorporated by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” into this prospectus supplement the information we file with it. This means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus supplement, and later information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings made with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act; provided, however, that we are not incorporating by reference any information furnished (but not filed) under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of any Current Report on Form 8-K:

 

  (a) our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2015, filed on March 4, 2016 (including information specifically incorporated by reference into our Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, filed on March 22, 2016);

 

  (b) our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the thirteen weeks ended March 26, 2016, filed on May 6, 2016, the thirteen weeks ended June 25, 2016, filed on August 5, 2016 and the thirteen weeks ended September 24, 2016, filed on November 2, 2016;

 

  (c) our current reports on Form 8-K filed on May 5, 2016 (Item 5.07 only), May 20, 2016, June 30, 2016, July 6, 2016 and August 12, 2016; and

 

  (d) the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on June 11, 2015, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

You may obtain any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the SEC through the SEC’s website at the address provided above. You may also request and we will provide, free of charge, a copy of any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus (excluding exhibits to such document unless an exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference in the document) by visiting our internet website at www.wingstop.com or by writing or calling us at the following address and telephone number: Wingstop Inc., Corporate Secretary, 5501 LBJ Freeway, 5th Floor, Dallas, Texas 75240, telephone (972) 686-6500.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-3 under the Securities Act with respect to the common stock offered by this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement does not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement and its exhibits and schedules, portions of which have been omitted as permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information about us, as well as our common stock, we refer you to the registration statement and to its exhibits and schedules.

 

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In addition, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy and information statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings, including the registration statement, are available to the public from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. To receive copies of public records not posted to the SEC’s website at prescribed rates, you may complete an online form at http://www.sec.gov, send a fax to (202) 772-9337 or submit a written request to the SEC, Office of FOIA/PA Operations, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information.

We also make available free of charge on our website, www.wingstop.com, under “Investor Relations/Financials/SEC Filings,” all materials that we file electronically with the SEC, including our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, Section 16 reports and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Information contained on our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and does not constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

 

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PROSPECTUS

12,765,858 shares

 

LOGO

Common stock

 

 

The selling stockholder identified in this prospectus may offer and sell, from time to time, in one or more offerings, up to 12,765,858 shares of our common stock, at prices and on terms that will be determined at the time of the offering.

This prospectus relates solely to sales of our common stock by the selling stockholder identified in this prospectus. We are not selling any common stock under this prospectus and will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the common stock by the selling stockholder.

This prospectus describes the general manner in which the shares of our common stock may be offered and sold by the selling stockholder. Each time securities are offered pursuant to this prospectus, we may provide a prospectus supplement and attach it to this prospectus. Any prospectus supplement will contain specific information about the terms of the offering and the offered securities and may also add, update or change the information in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest in our common stock.

The shares of our common stock may be sold at fixed prices, prevailing market prices at the times of sale, prices related to the prevailing market prices, varying prices determined at the times of sale or negotiated prices. The shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement may be offered by the selling stockholder directly to investors or to or through underwriters, dealers or other agents. The prospectus supplement for each offering will describe in detail the plan of distribution for that offering and will set forth the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the offering and any applicable fees, commissions or discount arrangements.

Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “WING.” We are an “emerging growth company” as that term is used in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and are subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. On July 15, 2016, the last reported sale price of our common stock was $25.73 per share.

Investing in our common stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” on page 2 of this prospectus and any risk factors described in any applicable prospectus supplement and in the documents we incorporate by reference.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

The date of this prospectus is July 18, 2016


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

About this Prospectus

     ii   

Where You Can Find More Information

     ii   

Prospectus Summary

     1   

Risk Factors

     2   

Forward-Looking Statements

     3   

Use of Proceeds

     4   

Description of Capital Stock

     5   

Selling Stockholder

     10   

Plan of Distribution

     11   

Legal Matters

     14   

Experts

     14   

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a shelf registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. By using a shelf registration statement, the selling stockholder identified in this prospectus may sell shares of our common stock in one or more offerings.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the common stock the selling stockholder may offer. Each time the selling stockholder sells shares of our common stock under this shelf registration process, we may provide a prospectus supplement that contains specific information about the terms of that offering. Any prospectus supplement may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with the additional information described below in the section entitled “Where You Can Find More Information.”

We may also prepare free writing prospectuses to describe the terms of particular sales of our common stock by the selling stockholder, which terms may vary from those described in any prospectus supplement. You therefore should carefully review any free writing prospectus in connection with your review of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement.

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, including any information that we incorporate by reference, or any free writing prospectus that we distribute. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we do not take any responsibility for, or provide any assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. You should not assume that the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or a prospectus supplement or contained in any free writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document. We are not making an offer of securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.

Throughout this prospectus, when we use the terms “we,” “us,” “our” and similar terms, we are referring to Wingstop Inc. and its subsidiaries, collectively, as the context requires. The terms “selling stockholder” refers to RC II WS LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, or RC II WS.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

The registration statement that we have filed with the SEC registers the securities offered by this prospectus under the Securities Act. The registration statement, including the exhibits to it, contains additional relevant information about us. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit some information included in the registration statement from this prospectus.

In addition, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy and information statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings, including the registration statement, are available to the public from the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. To receive copies of public records not posted to the SEC’s website at prescribed rates, you may complete an online form at http://www.sec.gov, send a fax to (202) 772-9337 or submit a written request to the SEC, Office of FOIA/PA Operations, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information.

We also make available free of charge on our website, www.wingstop.com, under “Investor Relations/Financials/SEC Filings,” all materials that we file electronically with the SEC, including our annual reports on

 

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Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, Section 16 reports and amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Information contained on our website or any other website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and does not constitute a part of this prospectus.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we have filed with the SEC. This means that we can disclose important information to you without actually including the specific information in this prospectus by referring you to other documents filed separately with the SEC. These other documents contain important information about us, our financial condition and our results of operations. The information incorporated by reference is considered part of this prospectus from the date we file that document. Information that we file later with the SEC and that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus will automatically update and may supersede information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement.

We incorporate by reference in this prospectus the documents and portions of documents listed below and any future filings made with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act (other than, in each case, information deemed to have been furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules):

 

    our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2015, filed on March 4, 2016 (including information specifically incorporated by reference into our Form 10-K from our definitive proxy statement relating to our 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, filed on March 22, 2016);

 

    our quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the thirteen weeks ended March 26, 2016, filed on May 6, 2016; and

 

    our current reports on Form 8-K filed on May 5, 2016 (Item 5.07 only), May 20, 2016, June 30, 2016 and July 6, 2016.

You may obtain any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus from the SEC through the SEC’s website at the address provided above. You may also request and we will provide, free of charge, a copy of any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus (excluding exhibits to such document unless an exhibit is specifically incorporated by reference in the document) by visiting our internet website at www.wingstop.com or by writing or calling us at the following address and telephone number: Wingstop Inc., Corporate Secretary, 5501 LBJ Freeway, 5th Floor, Dallas, Texas 75240, telephone (972) 686-6500.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

The following summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider before making your investment decision. You should read carefully the entire prospectus and the financial statements, notes to financial statements and other information incorporated by reference in this prospectus before making any investment decision.

Overview

Wingstop is a high-growth franchisor and operator of restaurants that offer cooked-to-order, hand-sauced and tossed chicken wings.

We believe we pioneered the concept of wings as a “center-of-the-plate” item for all of our meal occasions. While other concepts include wings as add-on menu items or focus on wings in a bar or sports-centric setting, we are singularly focused on wings, fries and sides, which generate approximately 90% of our system-wide sales.

We offer 11 bold, distinctive and craveable flavors on our bone-in and boneless chicken wings paired with hand-cut, seasoned fries and sides made fresh daily. Our menu is highly-customizable for different dining occasions, and we believe it delivers a compelling value proposition for groups, families, and individuals. We have broad and growing consumer appeal anchored by a sought after core demographic of 18-34 year old Millennials, which we believe is a loyal consumer group that dines at fast casual restaurants more frequently.

Founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, we have sold approximately 4 billion wings since our inception. Today, Wingstop is the largest fast casual chicken wings-focused restaurant chain in the world and has demonstrated strong, consistent growth.

Corporate and Other Information

The first Wingstop restaurant opened in July 1994. Our operating company, Wingstop Restaurants Inc., was incorporated in November 1996 and began offering franchises for Wingstop restaurants in May 1997. The first franchised restaurant opened in April 1998. On April 9, 2010, Wingstop Holdings, Inc., the holding company for Wingstop Restaurants Inc., was acquired by Wing Stop Holding Corporation. Wingstop Inc. was incorporated in Delaware on March 18, 2015, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wing Stop Holding Corporation. On May 28, 2015, Wing Stop Holding Corporation merged with and into Wingstop Inc., with Wingstop Inc. as the surviving corporation in the merger.

Our principal executive offices are located at 5501 LBJ Freeway, 5th Floor, Dallas, Texas 75240, and our telephone number at that address is (972) 686-6500. Our website is located at www.wingstop.com. Our website, and the information on our website, is neither part of this prospectus nor incorporated by reference herein.

 



 

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider the specific risks described under the heading “Risk Factors” in the applicable prospectus supplement and under the caption “Risk Factors” in any of our filings with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 26, 2015, filed with the SEC on March 4, 2016, which is on file with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus. If any of these risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties that are not yet identified or that we currently think are immaterial, actually occur, our business, results of operations or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. In such an event, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.

 

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus contain statements about future events and expectations that constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on our beliefs, assumptions and expectations of our future financial and operating performance and growth plans, taking into account the information currently available to us. These statements are not statements of historical fact. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations of future results we express or imply in any forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on such statements.

Words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “continues,” “estimates,” “expects,” “goal,” “objectives,” “intends,” “may,” “opportunity,” “plans,” “potential,” “near-term,” “long-term,” “projections,” “assumptions,” “projects,” “guidance,” “forecasts,” “outlook,” “target,” “trends,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. We qualify any forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus entirely by our risk factors and other cautionary factors included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements we make. We assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

The selling stockholder will receive all of the proceeds offered by this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares by the selling stockholder. The selling stockholder will pay any customary underwriting discounts and commissions and similar selling expenses, if any, incurred by such selling stockholder in disposing of these shares. We will bear all other costs, fees and expenses incurred in effecting the registration of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following description summarizes important terms of our capital stock. For a complete description, you should refer to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, copies of which are available upon request from us, as well as the relevant portions of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Common Stock

General. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of 100,000,000 shares of our common stock. As of June 25, 2016, there were 28,685,268 shares of our common stock outstanding, par value $0.01 per share, and 19 stockholders of record. The number of holders of record is based upon the actual number of holders registered at such date and does not include holders of shares in “street name” or persons, partnerships, associates, corporations or entities in security position listings maintained by depositories.

Voting rights. Except as required by law or matters relating solely to the terms of preferred stock, the holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders, including the election of directors, and do not have cumulative voting rights. Unless otherwise required by law, matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders require the approval of a majority of votes cast by stockholders represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote on such matter, except that directors are elected by a plurality of votes cast. Accordingly, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors are able to elect all of the directors standing for election, if they so choose.

Dividend rights. Holders of common stock are entitled to receive ratably dividends if, as and when dividends are declared from time to time by our board of directors out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any then outstanding preferred stock. Our ability to pay dividends is limited by covenants in our credit facilities.

Other matters. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of common stock will be entitled to share ratably in the net assets legally available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all of our debts and other liabilities, subject to any other distribution rights granted to holders of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights, and no redemption or sinking fund provisions are applicable to our common stock. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and nonassessable.

Preferred Stock

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation permits our board of directors, without further action of stockholders, to issue up to 15,000,000 shares of preferred stock from time to time in one or more classes or series. Our board of directors also may fix the relative rights and preferences of those shares, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights, terms of sinking funds, liquidation preferences and the number of shares constituting any class or series or the designation of the class or series. Terms selected by our board of directors in the future could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of common stock or adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the holders of common stock without any further vote or action by the stockholders. As a result, the rights of holders of our common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued by us in the future, which could have the effect of decreasing the market price of our common stock. Currently, there are no shares of preferred stock outstanding, and we have no present intention to issue any shares of preferred stock.

 

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Registration Rights

We entered into a registration rights agreement with RC II WS in connection with our initial public offering. The terms of the registration rights agreement include provisions for demand registration rights in favor of RC II WS. Subject to the terms of the registration rights agreement, RC II WS, which is currently the holder of 12,765,858 shares of our common stock, has the right to require that we register its remaining shares under the Securities Act for sale to the public. So long as we do not have an effective shelf registration statement with respect to our common stock, RC II WS may request registration (a “demand registration”) of all or a portion of its common stock (“registrable securities”). We shall not be obligated to effectuate more than three demand registrations in any 12-month period. Any demand registration must be for an anticipated aggregate offering price of at least $10 million. The registration rights agreement provides that subject to certain limitations, at any time that we are eligible to use Form S-3, we will upon request of RC II WS file a shelf registration statement covering all registrable securities and, if such shelf registration statement is not automatically effective, use reasonable best efforts to cause the shelf registration statement to be declared effective. Once the shelf registration statement is effective, we are required to use reasonable best efforts to keep the shelf registration statement continuously effective and usable for resale of registrable securities. In addition, if at any time we propose or are required to register any shares of our common stock under the Securities Act (other than a demand registration or pursuant to an employee benefit) (a “piggyback registration”), we are required to notify RC II WS of its right to participate in such registration. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to cause registrable securities requested to be included in the registration to be so included. These piggyback registration rights are subject to certain exceptions set forth in the registration rights agreement. The registration rights agreement also provides that, subject to limitations described below, RC II WS may effect an underwritten offering of registrable securities after delivery of advance notice to us.

In connection with an underwritten offering, we may have to agree to not effect any public sale or distribution of equity securities (1) during the 90-day period following the effective date of any underwritten demand registration or (2) during the period ending 90 days after commencement of such underwritten shelf offering, unless the managing underwriters agree to a shorter period. Under the registration rights agreement, we have agreed, subject to certain limitations, to indemnify RC II WS and its respective officers, directors, managers and partners, and each person controlling such holder against all losses, claims, actions, damages, liabilities and expenses in certain circumstances and to pay any expenses reasonably incurred in connection investigating, preparing or defending these, except insofar as the same are caused by or contained in any information furnished in writing to us by such holder expressly for use therein.

We must pay all expenses, except for underwriters’ discounts and commissions, incurred in connection with the exercise of these demand and piggyback registration rights. The registration rights agreement does not provide for the payment of any consideration by us to holders of registrable shares if a registration statement for the resale of shares of common stock held by holders of registrable shares is not declared effective or if the effectiveness is not maintained.

Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, all of the shares of our common stock entitled to these registration rights will have been registered under the Securities Act.

Anti-takeover Effects of Provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Delaware Law

The provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or DGCL, and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting an unsolicited offer to acquire our company. Such provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

Election and removal of directors. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III. The initial terms of Class I directors expired on May 4, 2016 at the first annual meeting of our

 

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stockholders. The initial terms of Class II directors will expire at the second annual meeting of our stockholders following the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. The initial terms of Class III directors will expire at the third annual meeting of our stockholders following the filing of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Following their initial terms, each class of directors will be elected for a three-year term. Our directors may be removed only by the affirmative vote of at least 66 23% of our then outstanding common stock and only for cause. For more information on the terms of our directors, see the section entitled “Management—Board of Directors.” This system of electing and removing directors generally makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of our directors.

Authorized but unissued shares. The authorized but unissued shares of our common stock and our preferred stock are available for future issuance without any further vote or action by our stockholders. These additional shares may be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, corporate acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of our common stock and our preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control over us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Stockholder action; advance notification of stockholder nominations and proposals. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws require that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of stockholders and may not be effected by a consent in writing. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation also requires that special meetings of stockholders be called only by a majority of our board of directors. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws provide that candidates for director may be nominated and other business brought before an annual meeting only by the board of directors or by a stockholder who gives written notice to us no later than 90 days prior to nor earlier than 120 days prior to the first anniversary of the last annual meeting of stockholders. These provisions may have the effect of deterring unsolicited offers to acquire our company or delaying changes in control of our management, which could depress the market price of our common stock.

Stockholder action by written consent. The DGCL provides that, unless otherwise stated in a corporation’s certificate of incorporation, the stockholders may act by written consent without a meeting. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders at an annual meeting or special meeting of the stockholders may only be taken at an annual or special meeting before which it is properly brought, and not by written consent without a meeting.

Special meeting of stockholders and advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of the stockholders can only be called upon the request of a majority of our board of directors or, at the request of RC II WS so long as RC II WS (or its affiliates) owns at least 10% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of our common stock.

In addition, our amended and restated bylaws require advance notice procedures for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of the stockholders, including the nomination of directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting may only consider the proposals specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the board of directors, or by a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has delivered a timely written notice in proper form to our secretary, of the stockholder’s intention to bring such business before the meeting.

These provisions could have the effect of delaying until the next stockholder meeting any stockholder actions, even if they are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities.

Amendment to certificate of incorporation and bylaws. The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding stock entitled to vote on amendments to a corporation’s certificate of

 

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incorporation or bylaws is required to approve such amendment, unless a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, as the case may be, requires a greater percentage. Our amended and restated bylaws may be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors or, in addition to any other vote otherwise required by law, the approval by holders of at least 66 23% of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of the capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Additionally, the approval by holders of at least 66 23% of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of the capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, is required to amend or repeal or to adopt any provision inconsistent with the “Classified Board of Directors,” “Action by Written Consent,” “Special Meetings of Stockholders,” “Amendments to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws” and “Business Combinations” provisions described in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. These provisions may have the effect of deferring, delaying or discouraging the removal of any anti-takeover defenses provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws.

No cumulative voting. The DGCL provides that stockholders are not entitled to the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless our certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation expressly prohibits cumulative voting.

Corporate opportunity. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any business opportunity that may from time to time be presented to Roark or any of its officers, directors, agents, stockholders, members, partners, affiliates and subsidiaries (other than us and our subsidiaries) and that may be a business opportunity for Roark, even if the opportunity is one that we might reasonably have pursued or had the ability or desire to pursue if granted the opportunity to do so. No such person will be liable to us for breach of any fiduciary or other duty, as a director or officer or otherwise, by reason of the fact that such person, acting in good faith, pursues or acquires any such business opportunity, directs any such business opportunity to another person or fails to present any such business opportunity, or information regarding any such business opportunity, to us unless, in the case of any such person who is our director or officer, any such business opportunity is expressly offered to such director or officer solely in his or her capacity as our director or officer. None of Roark, any of the investment funds associated with Roark or any of their respective representatives has any duty to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us or any of our subsidiaries.

Exclusive jurisdiction of certain actions. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law that derivative actions brought in the name of the company, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware. Although we believe this provision benefits the company by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.

Business combinations. We have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:

 

    prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

    upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares; or

 

    at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least 66 23% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

 

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Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock.

Under certain circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. This provision may encourage companies interested in acquiring our company to negotiate in advance with our board of directors because the stockholder approval requirement would be avoided if our board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction which results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our board of directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions which stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that RC II WS, any affiliated investment entity, and any of their respective direct or indirect transferees of at least 15% of our outstanding common stock and any group as to which such persons are party to, do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.

Limitation of Liability and Indemnification

Our amended and restated bylaws limit the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law and provides that we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by such law. We have entered into indemnification agreements with our current directors and executive officers and expect to enter into a similar agreement with any new directors or executive officers. We also maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance coverage.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “WING.”

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

 

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SELLING STOCKHOLDER

The following table sets forth the name of the selling stockholder, the number of shares of our common stock and the percentage of shares of our common stock beneficially owned by the selling stockholder prior to this offering, the number of shares that may be offered under this prospectus by the selling stockholder, and the number of shares of our common stock and the percentage of our common stock to be beneficially owned by the selling stockholder after completion of this offering, assuming that all shares offered hereunder are sold as contemplated herein. The number of shares in the column “Maximum Number of Shares That May Be Offered” represents all of the shares that the selling stockholder may offer under this prospectus.

Beneficial ownership for the purposes of the following table is determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. These rules generally provide that a person is the beneficial owner of securities if such person has or shares the power to vote or direct the voting thereof, or to dispose or direct the disposition thereof or has the right to acquire such powers within 60 days. Percentage of beneficial ownership is based on 28,685,268 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 25, 2016. Except as disclosed in the footnotes to this table, we believe that the selling stockholder identified in the table possesses sole voting and investment power over all shares of common stock shown as beneficially owned by the selling stockholder.

 

     Shares Beneficially Owned
Prior to This Offering (1)
    Maximum
Number of
Shares That
May Be
Offered
     Shares Beneficially
Owned
After This Offering

(assuming the sale of
all shares that may be
sold hereunder)
 
     Number      Percentage        Number      Percentage  

Principal and Selling Stockholders:

             

RC II WS LLC (1)

     12,765,858         44.5     12,765,858         —           0

 

(1) RC II WS LLC directly owns 12,765,858 shares of common stock. RC II WS LLC, a Georgia limited liability company, is controlled by Roark Capital Partners II, LP, a Delaware limited partnership. Roark Capital Partners II, LP is controlled by its general partner, Roark Capital GenPar II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, which is in turn controlled by its managing member, Neal K. Aronson, who has served as the chairman of our board of directors since February 2015 and is a member of our compensation committee. Each of Roark Capital Partners II, LP, Roark Capital GenPar II, LLC and Mr. Aronson may be deemed to have voting and dispositive power with respect to the common stock directly owned by RC II WS LLC and therefore be deemed to be the beneficial owner of the common stock held by RC II WS LLC, but each disclaim beneficial ownership of such common stock. The principal business address of each of the entities and persons identified in this paragraph is c/o Roark Capital Management, LLC, 1180 Peachtree Street, Suite 2500, Atlanta, GA, 30309.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

The selling stockholder may offer and sell, from time to time, some or all of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus. Registration of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus does not mean, however, that those shares necessarily will be offered or sold. We will not receive any proceeds from any sale by the selling stockholder of the securities. See “Use of Proceeds.” We will pay all costs, expenses and fees in connection with the registration of the shares of common stock, including fees of our counsel and accountants, fees payable to the SEC and fees of counsel to the selling stockholder. The selling stockholder will pay all underwriting discounts and commissions and similar selling expenses, if any, attributable to the sale of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus.

The selling stockholder may sell the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus from time to time, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to market prices, at a fixed price or prices subject to change or at negotiated prices, by a variety of methods including the following:

 

    in privately negotiated transactions;

 

    through broker-dealers, who may act as agents or principals;

 

    in a block trade in which a broker-dealer will attempt to sell a block of shares of common stock as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

 

    through one or more underwriters on a firm commitment or best-efforts basis;

 

    directly to one or more purchasers;

 

    through agents; or

 

    in any combination of the above.

In effecting sales, brokers or dealers engaged by the selling stockholder may arrange for other brokers or dealers to participate. Broker-dealer transactions may include:

 

    purchases of the shares of common stock by a broker-dealer as principal and resales of the shares of common stock by the broker-dealer for its account pursuant to this prospectus;

 

    ordinary brokerage transactions; or

 

    transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers.

At any time a particular offer of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus is made, a revised prospectus or prospectus supplement, if required, will be distributed which will set forth the aggregate amount of shares of common stock covered by this prospectus being offered and the terms of the offering, including the name or names of any underwriters, dealers, brokers or agents, any discounts, commissions, concessions and other items constituting compensation from the selling stockholder and any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers. Such prospectus supplement, and, if necessary, a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, will be filed with the SEC to reflect the disclosure of additional information with respect to the distribution of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus.

In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus through underwriters, underwriters may receive compensation in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of shares of common stock for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.

Any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents participating in the distribution of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and

 

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any commissions received by any of those underwriters, broker-dealers or agents may be deemed to be underwriting commissions under the Securities Act. The selling stockholder may also be deemed to be an underwriter, and any discounts and commissions it receives and any profit it realizes on the sale of the common stock may be deemed to be underwriting commissions under the Securities Act.

The selling stockholder may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell shares of common stock not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell shares of common stock covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use shares of common stock pledged by the selling stockholder or borrowed from the selling stockholder or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use shares of common stock received from the selling stockholder in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment).

We may authorize underwriters, dealers and agents to solicit from third parties offers to purchase shares of common stock under contracts providing for payment and delivery on future dates. The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the material terms of these contracts, including any conditions to the purchasers’ obligations, and will include any required information about commissions we may pay for soliciting these contracts.

Underwriters, dealers, agents and other persons may be entitled, under agreements that they may enter into with us and the selling stockholder, to indemnification by us and the selling stockholder against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell shares of common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Shorts sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering. “Covered” short sales are sales made in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares from the Company in the offering. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares or purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to close out the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase shares through the overallotment option. “Naked” short sales are any sales in excess of such option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of common stock made by the underwriters in the open market prior to the completion of the offering.

The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased shares sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

Purchases to cover a short position and stabilizing transactions may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the Company’s stock, and together with the imposition of the penalty bid, may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the common stock. As a result, the price of the common stock may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be discontinued at any time. These transactions may be effected on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.

 

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Certain underwriters, agents or dealers or their affiliates may have provided from time to time, and may provide in the future, investment, commercial banking, derivatives and financial advisory services to the Company, the selling stockholder and their respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business, for which they have received or may receive customary fees and commissions.

Some of the shares of common stock covered by this prospectus may be sold in private transactions or under Rule 144 under the Securities Act rather than pursuant to this prospectus.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the common stock offered hereby is being passed upon for us by our counsel, King & Spalding LLP. Any underwriters will be represented by their own legal counsel.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements of Wingstop Inc. and subsidiaries at December 26, 2015 and December 27, 2014 and for each of the three fiscal years in the period ended December 26, 2015 incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and Registration Statement have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon incorporated by reference herein, and are incorporated by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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6,765,858 Shares

 

 

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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT