CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS AT Liffey Valley got an unexpected spectacle today as dozens of people willingly joined a pre-11am queue for a new chicken wing restaurant.

Wingstop, the Texas-born chain with more than 2,000 restaurants worldwide, opened its first Irish outlet this morning, and apparently that was enough to lure a sizeable crowd out early on a gloomy Monday.

The first 100 fans were promised eight free wings, which seems to have been all the encouragement required.

Video from the scene shows a line of dedicated shoppers snaking through the shopping centre’s car park.

Inside, Wingstop is serving its usual spread: wings, tenders, burgers, sides, milkshakes and churros.

It’s also already available on Deliveroo in the nearby area.

Chris Sherriff, CEO of Wingstop UK & Ireland, said they were “beyond excited” to finally launch in Dublin, praising the city’s “electric” food and music scene after a Button Factory launch party last week.

Whether Wingstop attracts the next Krispy Kreme-style frenzy remains to be seen, but if the early-morning queue is anything to go by, Dublin’s appetite for novelty US fast food brands remains as strong as ever.