Wendy's Plans to Close Around 300 Stores Nationwide in Late 2025
Wendy's, a fast-food chain based in Dublin, Ohio, currently operates about 6,000 locations across the United States. Following the recent closure of 140 stores, the company announced plans to close an additional "mid single-digit percentage" of its outlets in late 2025.
Details from the Quarterly Earnings Call
Interim CEO Ken Cook shared on a November 7 earnings call that this percentage translates to roughly 240 to 360 stores shutting down nationwide. One investor suggested the figure might be closer to 300 locations.
"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 some stores would receive upgrades in technology or equipment or be transferred to new operators to improve performance. However, others will be permanently closed.
2024 Expansion and Closure Balance
Wendy's had originally planned to open 250 to 300 new locations in 2024. However, spokesperson Heidi Schauer told USA TODAY that after a strategic review, the company now expects closures to match openings, resulting in roughly 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."
Store Closures in Michigan
Although the company has not released a list of stores to be closed, Wendy's currently has 218 locations in Michigan, according to its website.
Closures are set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2025.
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