Wendy’s to close 140 ‘underperforming’ fast food restaurants – NBC Chicago

Ohio-based fast-food chain Wendy’s will close more than 100 “underperforming” restaurants by the end of 2024, officials said during a earnings call Thursday.

The announcement comes as popular fast food chains like Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Burger King work to win back customers through value meal deals and discounts.

The closings were based on a “robust review” of individual restaurants, Wendy’s President and CEO Kirk Tanner said. Tanner went on to say the restaurant closings are out of date and in “underperforming areas.”

According to Tanner, the closings, which amount to approximately 140 restaurants, were accelerated. Wendy’s did not immediately provide details on the locations of stores expected to close.

“These are closings that would have happened in ’25, ’26 and ’27,” officials said on the call, adding that the same number of stores were expected to open by the end of the year.

Despite the closures, Wendy’s said it has opened more than 500 restaurants nationwide over the past two years and that the chain is “confident it will deliver strong growth in 2025 and beyond,” a spokesman said .

The chain also announced new menu offerings on the call, including a new Salted Caramel Frosty, and “the return of the customer-favorite Mushroom Bacon Cheeseburger.”

Earlier this year, Wendy’s launched “Krabby Patties” on menus as part of a SpongeBob SquarePants collaboration.