Wendy’s closing hundreds of restaurants in the US in 2026 – NBC Chicago

Wendy’s plans to close several hundred U.S. restaurants as it focuses on new menu items as well as “more spend towards digital, social and streaming platforms,” the company said during an earnings call Friday following a weaker-than-expected fourth quarter.

“As we continue to incorporate learnings to enhance the menu, strengthen our marketing calendar, and improve messaging and media effectiveness, we expect momentum to build sequentially as we move through 2026,” Ken Cook, Wendy’s interim Chief Executive Officer said during the call, adding that Wendy’s was also planning to “strengthen” its value offerings.

According to Cook, a “new menu approach” will start this month, with the launch of a new cheesy bacon cheeseburger.

“You will continue to see hamburger innovation as we move throughout the year,” Cook said.

Cook added that Wendy’s will continue to expand its chicken offerings following the response to its chicken tenders, with the addition of a chicken tender ranch wrap.

Which Wendy’s restaurants are closing?

Cook said Wendy’s closures are based on “consistently underperforming restaurants.” More details on where the restaurants were located weren’t provided.

“We have been working with our franchisees to evaluate restaurants on a store by store basis and make collaborative decisions to optimize performance across the US system as one Wendy’s,” he said. Under this program, we expect approximately 5% to 6% of US restaurants to close, including 28 restaurant closures that occurred during the 2025 with the remaining closures expected during the 2026.”

Cook added that though many Wendy’s restaurants perform well at breakfast, the company does not have the customer dynamics to support a “thriving breakfast business.”

Wendy’s said it already closed 28 restaurants in the fourth quarter and ended 2025 with 5,969 U.S. locations. It expects to close between 5% and 6% of its U.S. restaurants – or 298 to 358 locations – in the first half of this year.

Those actions come on top of the closure of 240 U.S. Wendy’s locations in 2024. At the time, the 57-year-old chain said many of its locations are simply out of date.

Like McDonald’s, Taco Bell and other rivals, Wendy’s also plans to emphasize value as it tries to win back inflation-weary customers.

“One learning from 2025 around value, we swung the pendulum too far towards limited-time price promotions instead of everyday value,” said Ken Cook, Wendy’s interim CEO and chief financial officer, in a conference call with investors.

In January, Wendy’s introduced a permanent “Biggie Deals” value menu with three price tiers: $4 Biggie Bites, $6 Biggie Bags and an $8 Biggie Bundle. Cook said Wendy’s also has new products coming this year, including a new chicken sandwich.

Wendy’s said its revenue fell 5.5% in the fourth quarter to $543 million. That was higher than the $537 million analysts had forecast.

Wendy’s expressed confidence that its U.S. turnaround plans and international growth will help arrest its sales slide this year. The company said it expects global systemwide sales — which includes sales at both company-owned and franchised restaurants — will be flat this year. Systemwide sales fell 3.5% last year.