Wendy's Closing Up to 6% of U.S. Locations in First Half of 2026

Wendy's is shuttering 5% to 6% of its stores nationwide in the first half of 2026 as part of an ongoing downsizing plan.

Interim CEO Ken Cook first told investors in a November 7 quarterly earnings call that the company would be closing a "mid single-digit percentage" of its nearly 6,000 locations nationwide.

On a February 13 earnings call, Cook said the company had already closed 28 restaurants in the last quarter of 2025 as part of the planned reduction.

With around 5,969 locations operating nationwide at the end of the year, this amounts to roughly 300 to 360 store closures total. A list of exact locations slated for closure hasn't been announced.

Why They're Closing

Wendy's first announced closures in November. Cook said some restaurants "are a drag from a franchisee financial performance perspective."

"The goal is to address and fix those restaurants," he said.

In some cases, that means making improvements to technology or equipment. Transferring struggling locations to new operators. In others, closing the restaurants altogether.

Cook shared a similar message in the recent earnings call.

"By closing consistently underperforming restaurants, we are enabling our franchisee partners to increase focus on locations with the greatest potential for profitable growth," Cook said. "Since we announced this program in November, we have been working with our franchisees to evaluate restaurants on a store-by-store basis."

So, they're cutting dead weight. Stores that aren't making money. Locations dragging down the franchisees who run them.

The Sales Numbers

Wendy's struggled with sales compared to some competitors in 2025. Reported an 11.3% decrease in same-store sales—revenue generated by stores open for at least a year. An 8.3% loss in global systemwide sales in Q4.

Global systemwide sales were down 3.5% overall in 2025. Same-store sales were down 5.6%.

Those are bad numbers. Double-digit decreases in same-store sales. Global sales down across the board.

What This Means

Wendy's is closing 300 to 360 stores. The plan is to cut underperforming locations because sales were down significantly in 2025.

Wendy's is trying to stop the bleeding and focus resources on locations that actually have potential for profitable growth instead of propping up restaurants that are dragging everyone down.

It’s a strategic move that could save them in the long run.

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