Wendy’s was founded back in 1969 by Dave Thomas and has become a worldwide success as one of the top 3 profitable burger chains behind McDonald’s and Burger King. At the end of 2022, they were reporting $2 billion in revenue at over 7,000 restaurants and they have no intention of resting on their laurels. Todd Penegor, President and CEO of Wendy’s, says the chain is in the process of making some big changes and is “confident that Wendy’s best days are yet to come, and we will continue to make meaningful progress towards achieving our vision of becoming the world’s most thriving and beloved restaurant brand. Here are five changes to expect in 2023.
- Next-gen restaurants – a new restaurant design called "Global Next Gen" was rolled out in August of 2022. The new restaurants will have a delivery pick-up window, special parking for delivery drivers, mobile order shelving and pick-up, and enhanced infrastructure for lower cost of energy. The first Global Next Gen Wendy’s is in Albany, Ohio, and will open sometime this Spring.
- Emphasis on breakfast – Wendy’s has only been serving breakfast for three years but there is a push to become a bigger player in the breakfast market. They introduced French Toast Sticks in 2022 and just announced the return of the fan-favorite $3 Breakfast Deal which runs through June 2023. The deal gets you a choice of Wendy’s Bacon or Sausage, Egg & Swiss Croissant, and a small order of Seasoned Potatoes for just 3 bucks.
- Domestic & International expansion plans – CEO Penegor says that Wendy’s is “underpenetrated with thousands of potential trade areas that sit untapped and without a Wendy’s” and expects to see more locations in Latin America, Mexico, and Australia. In addition, Wendy’s returned to the U.K. in 2021 after being absent for two decades and also plans new locations in Ireland and Spain by 2024.
- New technology – AI is big in the restaurant business these days and back in 2021 Wendy’s partnered up with Google Cloud to develop AI voice recognition for drive-thru orders. Penegor says “We are also leaning in by testing emerging technologies, like voice and vision AI, to reduce friction throughout the ordering experience” and over 1,000 locations are already using the latest DSG 2.0 grills which only take half the time to cook burgers than the older model grills.
- Going green – the chain pledged to cut its Scope 1,2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions by 2023 and has an official target to reduce the emission by 47% by 2030. Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer Liliana Esposito says that the brand is focusing on improving energy efficiency and “there’s a number of efficiency-related projects related to equipment, related to lighting, our overall new restaurant design, which we call the Global Next Gen.” This will result in using less energy and electricity and will reduce costs.
Source: EatThis,NotThat!