Wendy’s is closing about 300 underperforming locations over the next year to improve its brand and profitability, Wendy’s Interim Chief Executive Officer Ken Cook told analysts on Friday. EPA/CJ GUNTHER
Nov. 8 (UPI) — Wendy’s is closing about 300 locations over the next year as the fast-food chain seeks to revitalize its business model and become more profitable.
Interim Chief Executive Officer Ken Cook announced the pending closings on Friday and said they represent a small fraction of the popular restaurant chain’s 6,000 locations in the United States, CNN reported.
Cook told analysts that “consistently underperforming” locations will be closed so that they won’t reflect poorly on the Wendy’s brand.
“These actions will strengthen the system and enable franchisees to invest more capital and resources in their remaining restaurants,” Cook explained.
“Closures of underperforming units are expected to boost sales and profitability at nearby locations.”
The restaurant closures will start this year and continue through next year.
The fast-food chain last year closed 140 restaurants for similar reasons, but it still reported a 4.7% decline in sales during the third quarter of 2025.
Meanwhile, Burger King, McDonald’s and Shake Shack reported revenue increases during the quarter.
Among the thousands of remaining Wendy’s locations, Cook said many will benefit from improved equipment and technology, and several also will be transferred to new owners, according to USA Today.
Wendy’s has not posted a list of locations targeted for closure or indicated how many in each respective state.