Wendy's to Close Around 300 Stores Nationwide in Late 2025
Ohio-based fast-food chain Wendy's plans to shut down a significant number of its restaurants, marking another major contraction after last year's closure of 140 stores. The company currently operates about 6,000 locations across the United States.
Details from Company Leadership
"When we look at the system today, we have some restaurants that do not elevate the brand and are a drag from a franchisee financial performance perspective," said Interim CEO Ken Cook during a quarterly earnings call on Friday, November 7. "The goal is to address and fix those restaurants."
According to Cook, the closures will represent a “mid single-digit percentage” of Wendy’s total operations. Based on current numbers, this translates to approximately 240 to 360 restaurant closures nationwide. An investor on the call estimated the total closer to 300 locations.
Company Strategy and Future Outlook
The restaurant chain acknowledged that not all locations perform equally. Struggling sites may either receive upgrades in technology and equipment, be transferred to new operators, or be permanently closed. The first closures are expected to begin during the fourth quarter of 2025.
"After our strategic review, we now expect a similar number of closures as openings, so we expect net unit growth in 2024 to be roughly flat," Wendy's spokesperson Heidi Schauer told USA TODAY.
Roughly 250 to 300 new restaurants were opened in 2024, balancing the projected number of closures. As of now, the company has not released a list of specific locations that will be affected. Wendy’s currently operates 218 restaurants in Michigan, according to its website.
Summary
Wendy’s, with about 6,000 U.S. locations, plans to close around 300 underperforming restaurants by late 2025 while maintaining a stable total number of units through new openings and strategic adjustments.