Wendy's to Close Approximately 300 Stores Nationwide in Late 2025
Wendy's, the Ohio-based fast-food chain with about 6,000 locations across the U.S., plans to close a significant number of stores by the end of 2025. This move follows last year's closure of 140 locations.
Details from the Quarterly Earnings Call
Interim CEO Ken Cook shared on the November 7 earnings call that the company intends to shut down a “mid single-digit percentage” of its outlets. Based on the current total of roughly 6,000 locations, this translates to around 240 to 360 closures.
"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. The goal is to address and fix those restaurants."
Cook explained that solutions may include upgrading technology and equipment, transferring ownership to new operators, or closing underperforming restaurants entirely.
Growth and Closures Balance
Wendy’s spokesperson Heidi Schauer confirmed that about 250 to 300 new locations were expected to open in 2024. However, following the recent strategic review, the company now anticipates closures will roughly equal openings, leading to flat net unit growth for the year.
"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."
The closures are set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025, though no official list of the stores to be closed has been released.
Wendy's Presence in Michigan
According to Wendy's official website, there are currently 218 Wendy's locations operating in Michigan. It has not been specified whether any Michigan locations will be affected by the planned closures.
Author's Summary
Wendy's plans to close about 300 stores nationwide by late 2025, balancing closures with new openings to maintain steady overall locations.