Wendy’s

About Wendy’s

Wendy’s is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas in Ohio in 1969. In 2019, Wendy's announced that it was returning to the UK market, which it had served from 1980 to 1986, and again from 1992 to 2000, with the first location opening in Reading in June 2021. It aims to eventually have 400 sites nationwide.

At the end of 2021, Paul Hilder, senior vice-president and managing director of Wendy’s UK and Canada, said the US brand has been “overwhelmed by the positive response from the British public” to its return to the country, while Abigail Pringle, Wendy’s chief development officer, said revenues at the restaurants it had opened were “far more” than the chain had expected, at £40,000 a week.

In October 2022, it signed up Papas Hospitality Group, the company behind the Papas Fish & Chips chain, as one its first franchisees in the UK (with a first opening lined up in Lincoln), and Blank Table, with a view to opening sites with the franchisee in the east of England. In December 2022, it opened its first traditional franchise site in the UK, in Sheffield, through Square Burgers, the team behind Papas Fish & Chips, and the following month, it opened its first UK drive-thru, at Brampton Hut in Cambridgeshire.

In November 2023, Wendy’s UK & Ireland managing director Michael Clarke said since returning to the UK in 2021, the business has been “above and beyond where we expected to be”. In terms of what it will do differently this time, he added: “This time is we have skin in the game with our company restaurants. We wanted to get the model right and test it before franchising it, which allows us to innovate before things go out to the franchise community. We want to role model what our expectations look like, and you can only do that with a company footprint. This time we’re here forever!”

In March 2024, Wendy’s signed up GH Burgers as its fourth UK franchisee, and in November 2024, Clarke told Propel said the brand will look to take on more franchisees here, and where it can’t, it will open more company owned stores. “We’ve said we see the opportunity over time in the UK as 400 restaurants, and we want to get there as quickly as possible,” Clarke said. “When we came into the market, we split the country into territories. We’ve got our company footprint in London and the south east, and we’ve started to open restaurants in Liverpool, and soon to be in Manchester.

“We’ve got a great franchisee in Square Burgers, which has now taken on a new development agreement for Scotland, and where we’re now actively looking for franchisees in the UK is Wales, Northern Ireland and some parts of southern England.

“We’re 95% franchised globally, and the UK is the only company footprint we have outside of the US. The intention is to keep some skin in the game and continue to open company restaurants. We haven’t put a threshold on it, but if we can’t find franchisees to fill some of the territories we’re looking at, we will control our own destiny and build a company footprint there.”

In March 2025, Wendy’s said it plans to add more than 150 new restaurants across the UK and Europe by 2028, and in October 2025, Clarke said: “The UK represents a dynamic and strategic growth market for Wendy’s, and we are proud of the progress we have made to bring our signature menu to more consumers across the country.”

That same month, Wendy’s made its Ireland debut, in Cork, as part of a ten-site deal for the country with Corrib Oil, while the following month, the company made its Scotland debut with a launch in Paisley through Square Burgers. In February 2026, the company said its debut Scottish restaurant has delivered “strong” sales following its launch.

In July 2026, Wendy’s, which by that point had 48 UK sites, started rolling out a new restaurant design across its international markets, including its UK sites in Reading and Kingston. It said the upgrades represent the latest phase of “Wendy’s ongoing investment in the UK”.

Why franchise with Wendy’s

• ✓While Wendy’s blamed property costs and overheads for its exit from the UK market in 2001, it now sees its return to these shores as a springboard for wider European expansion.
• ✓The company said: “Wendy’s re-entered Europe in 2021, starting with the UK, to drive strategic growth across the continent. With five traditional franchisees across the UK, Wendy’s now aims to expand across Europe. We have a strong pipeline of franchise candidates and available territories across Europe.”
• ✓The company said it offers a world class partnership in terms of operations, marketing, culinary, supply chain and development. It is seeking multi-unit franchise partners with proven operations experience, shared vision and values, local expertise and financial strength. The minimum investment for a Wendy’s franchise is £3m. Wendy’s franchisees outside of the US and Canada are multi-unit developers, with most operating under licenses to develop the full market or territories in which they operate.
• ✓At a minimum, qualified franchise candidates will typically be expected to have a comprehensive understanding of the local culture, infrastructure, and how to do business in the market of interest; demonstrated business success with multi-unit restaurant, retail, or hospitality sector operations; sufficient liquid assets and capital to support the growth of a network of restaurants at a pace necessary to create a visible presence, support a sustained advertising program, and allow for economies of scale in the geographic area of interest; the capacity and willingness to develop whole territories; access to and experience in developing real estate; existing business infrastructure to leverage in the operation and management of a network of Wendy’s restaurants; and ability to commit to an aggressive store development schedule.
• ✓The minimum number of restaurants required for development depends on a variety of factors (size of territory, timeframe, etc) and can be discussed during the initial interview. In addition to a monthly marketing contribution (4% of sales), franchisees will be expected to pay a one-time development fee for each unit and a monthly royalty to Wendy’s.
• ✓Financing is not available directly through Wendy’s, but the company can provide a list of third-party lenders who have expressed an interest in lending to Wendy’s franchisees. Typically, it takes between 9-12 months to open Wendy’s in a new market once a development agreement has been signed.