Wendy’s joins a list of restaurants and big-name retailers that plan to close, or already closed, “under-performing” locations before the end of 2024.
Wendy’s says it will close 140 restaurants across the United States in the next few months, USA Today was first to report. The new Wendy’s closures are in addition to 100 other Wendy’s restaurants that company CEO Kirk Tanner said it would shutter in May.
Ohio-based Wendy’s did not say where these 240 restaurants are located. The company has 6,012 restaurants across the U.S., including 145 in New Jersey. It also has 425 locations in Canada, according to the company’s website.
On the upside, Wendy’s says it plans to open at least 250 new restaurants in busier and potentially more profitable locations elsewhere. The company did not disclose those target areas.
TGI Fridays abruptly closed more than 50 of its U.S. restaurants last week, including several New Jersey sites in Hamilton, Bridgewater, Cherry Hill, North Brunswick, Piscataway and Watchung. TGI Fridays says it has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Texas, where the company headquarters is located.
Meanwhile, since January, other major restaurant chains and retail stores have announced U.S. closures, including many in New Jersey. These include Denny’s, closing 150 U.S. restaurants; Macy’s, closing 150 U.S. stores; Walgreens, closing 1,200 drugstores; and 7-Eleven, closing 400 convenience stores nationwide.
