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Posted on 02/17/2026 12:20:26 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Wendy’s is entering a pivotal transition period in 2026. The company confirmed it will shut down hundreds of underperforming restaurants across the United States as leadership attempts to stabilize declining sales, improve profitability, and reposition the brand around affordability. Executives are calling this year a rebuilding phase, signaling both operational restructuring and strategic reset.
The move reflects broader pressure across the fast-food industry, where inflation, shifting consumer behavior, and intense competition are forcing chains to rethink pricing, menus, and store footprints. For investors, Wendy’s restructuring raises key questions about near-term performance, long-term growth, and whether the company can regain market share in an increasingly value-driven environment.
Wendy’s reported a sharp drop in U.S. same-store sales during the final quarter of 2025. Comparable sales fell 11.3 percent, one of the steepest declines the company has posted in recent years. Same-store sales are a critical indicator because they measure performance at locations open for at least one year, stripping out expansion effects and highlighting core demand trends.
During the fourth quarter of 2025, the company closed 28 locations. Leadership now expects to shutter between 5 percent and 6 percent of its roughly 5,959 global restaurants in the first half of 2026. That translates to approximately 300 to 360 closures, a significant contraction designed to remove weaker locations and strengthen the remaining portfolio.
Executives say many of the targeted restaurants are older units with weaker traffic, higher operating costs, or poor market positioning. By eliminating underperformers, Wendy’s aims to improve systemwide profitability and focus capital on higher-return investments such as store upgrades, digital ordering, and menu innovation.
(Excerpt) Read more at globalmarketnews.com ...
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wendy’s is one of the higher quality burger joints (they don’t freeze their burgers) so I am surprised to hear this, is maybe their prices too high?
Dave is saddened.
Wendy’s is NOT what it used to be. They may be better quality than their competitors, but I was around in the early to mid-80’s when their brand was at their peak. The burgers they serve now can’t compare to the burgers 20 years ago.
Where’s the beef?
Higher prices + weaker value perception + fewer customers + strong competition + economic pressure.
Where indeed.
They’ve gotten a bit high for my taste. The food is decent, though. I have a Hardee’s and a Checker’s right nearby so I have other good choices if I get a hamburger craving (and if I don’t decide to just cook one at home).
Their prices are comparable to most of the other fast food places, with the exception of their breakfast which seems to be a dollar or two cheaper than McDonald’s, and their breakfast menu is pretty decent.
The small town where we attend church has a Wendy’s; I don’t see much business there after church on Sundays. But it’s a college town; maybe they’re busy the rest of the week.
AT IN -N -OUT
They have a lot of older locations. Traffic around them changes. There is one real close to me. Hard to get in and out of it. Last time I got a burger there it was awful.
We’ll probably have to say goodbye to our Wendy’s. They have trouble keeping employees.
I bought a chicken sandwich from Wendy’s a few months back and it was like biting into shoe leather. It reminded me of the Three Stooges eating the wooden fish.
I hope one of these is the Wendy’s on Lawrence Avenue in Chicago. They deserve to get shut down.
I’m so old I remember liking Wendys. No major fast food outlet has on my “eat list” for years. I have eaten at a couple of well known local independent food trucks with good results.
Like many other chains (especially Pizza Hut) they have suffered because of skimping on ingredient quality.
-SB
Their Chili isn’t bad.
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