The closures are part of the company’s “Project Fresh” plan and aim to drive growth and “long-term value” to U.S. locations.
WASHINGTON โ Wendy’s may close hundreds of locations as part of a plan to turn around profit for the business.ย
“We are working with our US franchisees to evaluate each, and every underperforming restaurant in our system, from both the financial, and the customer experience perspective, and developing action plans for how to improve both,” Ken Cook, Wendyโs Interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, said in a statement.ย
Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy’s said the process is underway and ongoing and couldn’t provide specific numbers or locations which may close.ย
Cook said a “mid-single-digit percentage of U.S. restaurants” could close for optimization during a quarterly company earnings call Friday morning. This could amount to hundreds of locations across the country.ย
The potential closures could start at the end of this year and dip into 2026, Cook said in the call.ย
They are part of the company’s recent “Project Fresh” announcement made in October. It’s a plan to drive growth and “long-term value” across their U.S. locations, according to a press release.
“Wendy’s Board of Directors and management team are dissatisfied with the current valuation of the Company and have been working to put the Company on the right path to create value for our franchisees, employees and shareholders,” Chairman of the Board Art Winkleblack said in the October press release. “Execution is underway and we are confident that Project Fresh will position Wendy’s as the industry leader โ one that guests love, franchisees are proud to operate, teams are excited to be a part of, and creates significant value for our shareholders.”
Wendy’s previously closed 140 U.S. restaurants in 2024, but said they were offset by opening 250 new locations the same year. Wendy’s has just under 6,000 locations across the U.S.ย
