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Music, signage and atmosphere influence how long customers stay, how they feel, and how they perceive a brand.
In quick service environments, these elements help shape brand perception, influence ordering behaviour, and support a fast, seamless customer journey.
Wingstop is in a rapid growth phase in the UK, building a strong brand identity. The in-store experience already leans heavily into energy and brand visibility, with clear strengths in its visual execution and promotional messaging. Our observations and suggestions could support and further enhance that experience as the estate scales.
Music was a defining part of the in-store atmosphere, with loud, urban and rap-led tracks reinforcing a youthful, high-energy identity.
However, the volume level and repetition of content created a slightly inconsistent experience. Staff noted that playlists can become repetitive over time, with regular customers and team members becoming accustomed to - and at times tuning out - the soundtrack. There were also moments where music was absent on entry, only to be switched on later, which impacts consistency of first impression.
While the genre direction aligns well with the brand’s target audience, the current execution feels more reactive than structured.
Wingstop already demonstrates strong use of digital signage across the customer journey, including multiple screens at point of order and large external video walls that create strong visual impact and brand presence.
This is a clear strength of the current experience and supports both operational efficiency and brand visibility.
There is, however, an opportunity to take this further by better connecting digital content with the in-store atmosphere. As the brand continues to expand, aligning signage messaging, promotional content and in-store energy could help create a more cohesive and immersive experience.
Introduce a centrally managed, scalable playlist strategy that maintains energy while reducing repetition and improving consistency across all locations.
Balance volume and clarity so music supports atmosphere without impacting staff-customer interaction at the tills.
Align promotional messaging with in-store energy to create a more cohesive and engaging customer experience during peak trading moments.
Based on your brand, audience and environment, here’s an example of how your music could feel with Startle.
This playlist has been designed to reflect Wingstop’s cultural positioning - blending hip-hop classics, contemporary groove-led tracks and funk-influenced rhythm to create an energetic but controlled atmosphere that feels confident, culturally relevant and less repetitive.
The intention is to:
Choose from our library of over 100 professionally crafted playlists spanning genres, moods and sectors, or opt for curated soundtracks designed to support fast-paced, high-turnover environments.
We offer simple, scalable digital signage to promote menu items, upsell combinations and highlight campaigns - helping drive consistency and sales.
With Startle Studio, you’ll have full visibility and control of all your sites’ music and signage schedules from a central platform, ensuring consistency across your entire estate.
We’ve worked with fast-moving hospitality brands to create more engaging, brand-led environments that improve atmosphere and consistency across multi-site estates.
We partnered with atis to help build a more centrally controlled approach to music across their estate. As they scaled, the need for consistency, clarity and brand alignment became critical - particularly across multiple locations with high throughput and varied customer journeys.
This approach included:
We'd definitely recommend Startle to any hospitality brand, single site or multi-site. It really doesn't matter who you are or what your particular use case is. It's so easy to install, it allows for huge consistency across all of your stores, and it really just is the best option out there.
Growth Marketing Manager
Book your discovery call to explore how music and signage could enhance experience, consistency and engagement across your estate.
On this call we’ll:
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