Two new takes on Wingstop’s popular Lemon Pepper flavor are joining the menu as the chain rolls out a limited-edition Wing Pass aimed at football watch parties.

Football season is underway, and Wingstop is betting that wings will remain a major part of the weekly game-day spread.

The Dallas-based restaurant chain is expanding one of its signature flavors with the launch of its new Lemon Pepper Trio, featuring the familiar Original Lemon Pepper alongside two new variations: Lemon Pepper Chili Crunch and Lemon Pepper Chili Glaze.

The trio will receive an early release for Club Wingstop members beginning Sept. 10 before becoming available nationwide at participating U.S. locations on Sept. 15 for a limited time, according to the company.

Three Takes on Lemon Pepper

Wingstop’s Original Lemon Pepper combines lemon flavor with cracked black pepper in the dry rub that has become one of the chain’s best-known offerings.

The two newcomers take that familiar flavor in different directions.

Lemon Pepper Chili Crunch starts with the traditional Lemon Pepper dry rub and adds crispy Korean chili crunch, introducing additional texture and heat.

Lemon Pepper Chili Glaze goes in a sweeter and saucier direction, combining citrus flavor and sweet heat with crispy Korean chili crunch.

All three flavors can be ordered on Wingstop’s classic wings, giving customers the option of sticking with the original or trying one of the spicier variations.

“Lemon Pepper is an iconic flavor, and Wingstop is proud of the role we’ve played in bringing it to fans around the world,” Wingstop President and CEO Michael Skipworth said in announcing the promotion.

The new flavors arrive as restaurants and food brands compete for a place in one of the biggest recurring food occasions of the fall: football watch parties.

Wingstop Introduces Its First Wing Pass

Wingstop is also taking an unusual approach to football-season promotions with its first Wing Pass, essentially turning weekly wing orders into the restaurant equivalent of a season ticket.

Advertisement

Each Wing Pass provides access to as many as 18 Watch Party Bundles, representing one bundle for each week of the regular football season.

A Watch Party Bundle includes 20 classic wings in as many as four flavors, a large order of fries and a large ranch.

Here’s where the promotion becomes especially notable: Wingstop says the Wing Pass costs $27.99 — the price of a single Watch Party Bundle.

Only 100 passes are being made available.

Club Wingstop members can purchase the limited passes beginning Sept. 10 at noon Central Time through Wingstop’s Wingshop. Passholders will then receive a Watch Party Bundle offer through their Wingstop app account each Sunday morning during the 18-week season, subject to the promotion’s terms and conditions.

With only 100 passes available nationwide, the Wing Pass is less a traditional discount program than a limited promotional event designed to generate attention around Wingstop’s football-season push.

Wings and Football Remain a Powerful Combination

The promotion highlights just how closely chicken wings have become associated with watching football in the United States. Restaurants routinely introduce larger bundles, limited flavors and game-day promotions as fans gather at homes, sports bars and restaurants throughout the season.

For Wingstop, the strategy combines both sides of that equation.

The Lemon Pepper Trio gives customers something new to try, while the Wing Pass encourages the idea of making Wingstop part of a weekly football routine.

Founded in 1994, Wingstop has grown to more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide. The company reported more than $5 billion in system-wide sales during fiscal 2025 and has ambitions of becoming one of the world’s top 10 restaurant brands.

Advertisement

Whether Lemon Pepper Chili Crunch or Lemon Pepper Chili Glaze develops the following of Wingstop’s original version remains to be seen. But for Lemon Pepper fans looking for something different during football season, the starting lineup just got a little bigger.

Source: Wingstop Restaurants Inc., press release issued Sept. 9, 2026.

Availability and promotional offers may vary by participating location. The Lemon Pepper Trio is a limited-time offering while supplies last. The Wing Pass is subject to Wingstop’s official terms and conditions.

Sources

• Wingstop — Lemon Pepper Trio and First-Ever Wing Pass announcement — Wingstop’s official Sept. 9, 2026 announcement covering the Lemon Pepper Chili Crunch, Lemon Pepper Chili Glaze and Wing Pass. 
• PR Newswire — Wingstop Kicks Off Football Season with New Lemon Pepper Trio and Wing Pass — Original distributed press release dated Sept. 9, 2026. 

Related Links

• Wingstop Lemon Pepper Flavor Guide — Background on Wingstop’s original Lemon Pepper dry rub, including its lemon and cracked-pepper flavor profile. 
• Wingstop Investor Relations — Corporate information, financial results and current company announcements. 
• Wingstop News & Press Releases — Additional Wingstop product launches and company news, including its recent Carolina Gold and Jamaican Jerk promotion. 

Craving Something Delicious? 🔥🍴

Turn up the flavor with STM Daily News Food & Drink — your destination for sizzling food news, must-try restaurant trends, crave-worthy recipes, game-day eats and the flavors everyone’s buzzing about.

Come hungry. Discover what’s cooking. Find your next obsession.

WESTON, Mo. — Kansas City barbecue is heading north to historic Weston, Missouri, where dozens of competition pitmasters are battling for more than prize money. The winner could soon be serving their barbecue to travelers from around the world.

The 4th Annual Made for KC BBQ Championship, held August 21–22, 2026, brought 47 of the region’s top competition barbecue teams to downtown Weston, with Holladay Distillery serving as a host partner.

The weekend began Friday with a VIP event on the grounds of the historic distillery before teams settled in for an overnight cook ahead of Saturday’s competition.

More Than a Barbecue Trophy

Created by OHM Concession Group in partnership with the Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS), the Made for KC BBQ Championship offers competitors an unusually valuable prize.

The 2026 championship features a $33,500 total purse, including $10,000 for the Grand Champion. But the biggest opportunity may come after the smokers cool down.

The winning team receives an 18-month licensing agreement to become the next featured pitmaster at the Made for KC BBQ Experience at Kansas City International Airport, beginning March 1, 2027.

The Grand Champion’s name, recipes, rubs and sauces will be showcased at the approximately 8,000-square-foot restaurant, putting the winning team’s barbecue in front of travelers passing through Kansas City.

That makes the competition more than a traditional barbecue contest. For one pitmaster, it could provide a major platform to introduce their food and brand to an international audience.

Competition Barbecue Meets Kansas City’s Airport

The Made for KC BBQ Experience opened alongside Kansas City International Airport’s new terminal in 2023. Its concept gives competition barbecue teams an opportunity rarely available on the traditional barbecue circuit: moving their food from cook-offs and judging tables into a major commercial restaurant.

A new Grand Champion is featured at the airport restaurant every 18 months.

In 2024, Meat Rushmore BBQ of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, captured the championship and later became the featured pitmaster at the airport location.

Advertisement

The competition is designed to continue that rotation while highlighting the deep barbecue culture associated with the Kansas City region.

Barbecue and Bourbon in Historic Weston

Weston provides a fitting setting for the competition.

Holladay Distillery was founded there in 1856 and is celebrating its 170th anniversary in 2026. According to the company, it remains the oldest continuously operating distillery on its original site in Missouri.

“Hosting the Made for KC BBQ Championship is exactly the kind of opportunity we’re proud to bring to Weston,” Patrick Fee, Holladay Distillery’s vice president of sales and marketing, said in the announcement.

“This competition celebrates the craftsmanship and traditions that make our region special, while bringing talented people from across the barbecue community right here to our hometown.”

The combination of bourbon, barbecue and a historic Missouri town also gives the championship an identity that extends beyond the judging tent.

“Bourbon and barbecue have always been a natural pairing,” Fee said.

A Bigger Prize for Kansas City Pitmasters

Competition barbecue can require years of practice, specialized equipment, travel and countless hours tending smokers in pursuit of trophies and recognition.

The Made for KC championship adds something different: the possibility of turning a competition victory into a lengthy restaurant residency.

For the 2026 Grand Champion, that means going from an overnight cook in Weston to having their recipes served at one of the region’s busiest transportation gateways.

Advertisement

And for travelers arriving in Kansas City, it offers something equally interesting — an opportunity to experience barbecue created by the people who compete seriously in one of America’s best-known barbecue regions.

The Made for KC BBQ Championship may take place in Weston, but for the winning pitmaster, the journey is only beginning.

Source: Holladay Distillery press release, August 21, 2026. The Made for KC BBQ Championship was created by OHM Concession Group in partnership with the Kansas City Barbeque Society.

Source & Related Links

Primary/official sources

Holladay Distillery — Official site for the historic Weston distillery, which says it has been making bourbon for 170 years. 

Kansas City Barbeque Society — Made for KC Championship background — Background on the competition and its relationship with the airport restaurant.

Kansas City International Airport — Made for KC BBQ Experience — Official airport background explaining how championship pitmasters rotate through the airport restaurant.

Vantage Group — Meat Rushmore airport residency — Details on previous champion Meat Rushmore and the 18-month airport showcase.

2026 results

FireBoard — 2026 Made for KC BBQ Championship results — Reports Smokey Bey’s BBQ as the 2026 Grand Champion.

Advertisement

KCTV — Smokey Bey’s wins 2026 championship — Post-event coverage of the winner and upcoming airport residency.

For more Food and Beverage News visit our “Food & Drink” page.

Beyond Protein: 2 Nutrients Your Plate Might Be Missing

(Feature Impact) Everyone is talking about protein these days whether watching their weight or managing a disease like type 2 diabetes. However, fiber and healthy fats are nutrients many people are overlooking. The latest reports show most Americans already meet or exceed recommendations for protein while nearly all (about 95%) do not eat enough fiber, and many people consume too much saturated fat versus unsaturated fat, according to the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Prioritizing ways to get more fiber and healthy fats on your plate could be key to managing weight and type 2 diabetes goals this summer. 

One food that makes it easier to invest in your health, according to nutrition experts: avocados.

A growing body of research and materials from Avocados – Love One Today, a science-based resource, suggests fresh avocados offer weight management benefits, help with type 2 diabetes management and are good for blood sugar management.

According to a study* of more than 27,000 adults published in the journal “Internal Medicine Review,” people who ate just over half of an avocado per day weighed 7.5 pounds less, had smaller waist sizes and tended to have healthier overall eating habits, including higher intakes of fiber and healthy fats, compared to people who didn’t eat avocados. Among the list of benefits, this delicious and healthy fruit uniquely contains fiber and healthy fats in each nutrient-dense bite which slows digestion, helping you feel satisfied and fuller longer which can help you consume fewer calories overall. In fact, if you’re using a GLP-1, avocados are one of the foods to add to your menu to make small meals feel more filling and satisfying while supporting nutrient needs.  

Scientists also recently took a second look at the largest study* about avocado consumption to-date involving close to 1,000 adults, per the journal “Current Developments in Nutrition,” and found that consistently eating one avocado every day for six months (no other diet changes required) significantly reduced dietary glycemic load (GL) by nearly 14 points, a metric that evaluates how what you are eating is affecting your blood sugar levels. GL may be an important consideration in the management of chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. By slowing digestion, fiber and healthy fats also support stable blood sugar levels.

There are many ways to enjoy avocados, including chopped, sliced, mashed, blended, in baked goods or even frozen. Avocados add flavor, variety and nutrition across the day.

Try these recipes for Avocado and Blueberry Chia Pudding, Avocado Breakfast Bowl with Leafy Greens for your next breakfast or snack.

*Remember: Small, consistent food choices can add up over time. Research suggests regularly eating avocados may support weight management and blood sugar targets while providing the fiber and healthy fats that many Americans are overlooking. These studies were supported by the Avocado Nutrition Center. While these findings are encouraging, the studies highlighted show an association, not cause and effect, and thus more research is needed to confirm these findings in other populations.

To explore evidence-based avocado nutrition information, along with practical tips and easy recipes, visit Avocados – Love One Today, a leading resource for avocado nutrition information.

Avocado and Blueberry Chia Pudding 

• 1 1/2    cups plain, unsweetened soy milk (or milk of choice) 
  
• 1          ripe, fresh avocado, halved, pitted and peeled 
  
• 3/4       cup frozen blueberries 
  
• 1/2       cup unsweetened vanilla Greek yogurt 
  
• 1          tablespoon maple syrup 
  
• 1/3       cup chia seeds 

To Serve: 

• 1/3       cup granola  
  
• 1/3       cup fresh blueberries 
  
• 1          kiwi, chopped 
  
• 1/2       fresh, ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped 

1. In blender, puree soy milk, avocado, blueberries, yogurt and maple syrup until smooth. Pour mixture into storage container or bowl and add chia seeds. Whisk well to combine. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight, until thickened.
2. To serve, divide into bowls and top with granola, fresh blueberries, kiwi and avocado. 
3. Notes: Use any milk (dairy or non-dairy) that you prefer in pudding. Use fresh blueberries or conventional frozen blueberries. Other topping options include: nuts, seeds, hemp hearts, sliced banana or strawberries, or nut butter. 

Avocado Breakfast Bowl with Leafy Greens

Bowl: 

• 1          medium sweet potato, chopped (about 1 3/4 cup) 
  
•             nonstick cooking spray
  
• 1/4       teaspoon smoked paprika 
  
• 1/4       teaspoon garlic powder 
  
• 1/4       teaspoon salt 
  
• 1/2       cup quinoa 
  
• 1          cup water, plus additional for boiling eggs, divided  
  
• 2          eggs 
  
• 2          cups arugula 
  
• 1          ripe, fresh avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and chopped 
  
• 1/4       cup pickled red onions 

Avocado Tahini Dressing: 

• 1/2       large avocado 
  
• 1/4       cup tahini 
  
• 1          lemon, juice only (2 tablespoons) 
  
• 3/4       cup water 
  
• 1          tablespoon fresh chives 
  
• salt, to taste 
  
• pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Add chopped sweet potato to baking sheet. Spray with cooking oil then add smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt. Toss to coat in spices. Bake 22-25 minutes, or until tender.
2. In medium saucepan, add quinoa and water. Bring to simmer and cover, cooking 12-15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender and fluffy.
3. Fill small saucepan with water and bring to boil. Use slotted spoon to lower eggs into water. Cook 8 minutes then transfer eggs to bowl of ice water to cool before peeling.
4. To make dressing: In small blender, puree avocado, tahini, lemon juice, water and fresh chives until smooth. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed, to thin until pourable. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Assemble bowls, each with 1/2 sweet potato, 1/2 cup quinoa, 1 egg, 1 cup arugula, 1/2 avocado, 2 tablespoons pickled red onion and 3 tablespoons dressing. Reserve remaining dressing in refrigerator.

Heart-Healthy Frozen Avocado Banana Paleta 

• 1          ripe, fresh avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and diced 
  
• 4          cups orange juice 
  
• 2          medium bananas, peeled and sliced 
  
• 1          tablespoon lime juice 
  
• 8          paper cups (5 ounces)
  
• 8          wooden craft sticks 

1. In blender, blend avocado, orange juice, bananas and lime juice on high until smooth. Divide into paper cups. Cover cups with aluminum foil. Insert one stick through center of each foil. Freeze 4 hours until firm. 

SOURCE:

Avocados – Love One Today

🍴 What’s your favorite food, recipe, or dining spot? Tell us in the comments! Then subscribe to the STM Daily News newsletter for fresh recipes, restaurant news, food trends, and delicious stories delivered straight to your inbox. Join our growing community of food lovers today!

Advertisement