In Columbus, the game really is over for at least two former GameStop shops, which are being flipped into carryout-focused Wingstop restaurants. The small electronics storefronts are set to become compact pickup-and-delivery chicken spots, a neat little snapshot of how local retail is shifting from discs and consoles to digital orders and hot wings.
The move surfaced publicly on March 6, 2026, when Columbus Business First reported that Wingstop is converting two Central Ohio GameStop locations into restaurants. According to that report, the new stores will lean heavily on carryout and are tailored to the chain’s delivery-first model that fits neatly into tight inline storefronts. The outlet noted that these projects are part of a broader wave of re-tenanting across local shopping centers.
City paperwork backs up at least one of those conversions. Local permit records list a tenant-improvement project for a Wingstop at 5057 N. High St. in Graceland Shopping Center, with interior work pegged at an approximate $300,000 valuation. That same address appears in GameStop’s store finder as the Graceland Shopping Center location, a clear sign the space is changing hands. As detailed by permit reporting at WhatNow, along with the chain’s own store listing, the site is shifting from electronics retail to a full restaurant build-out.
This all comes as GameStop continues to shrink its brick-and-mortar footprint. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it had launched a “store portfolio optimization” and expected to close a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025, after already shuttering hundreds the year before. The filing shows GameStop closed roughly 590 U.S. locations during fiscal 2024, leaving a glut of small retail units up for grabs and giving fast-casual and delivery-oriented brands a chance to slide into well-located strip centers.
Why the Switch Makes Sense
Wingstop has been steadily rolling out smaller, delivery-and-carryout-first formats that do not require much dining space, which makes former mall slots and standalone retail boxes a comfortable fit. The chain’s “restaurant of the future” prototype is built around digital orders, quick pickup access and third-party delivery partnerships, which cuts down on the need for large dining rooms and helps speed construction timelines. According to PR Newswire, off-premise sales now drive how Wingstop designs its sites and plans its growth.
What It Means for Columbus Shoppers
For Columbus-area shoppers, the trade-off is straightforward: fewer shelves to browse for physical game discs, and more spots to grab late-night wings from neighborhood plazas. Local reporting and permit data point to additional Wingstop openings throughout Central Ohio, hinting that the brand is picking up speed in the market. For a look at earlier permit activity and a snapshot of Wingstop’s expanding local footprint, see 614Now.
