KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Wendy's plans to close 200 to 350 underperforming U.S. locations by the end of 2026, but the fast-food chain has not released a list of which restaurants will be affected.
Fast-food chain has not announced which restaurants will close, but Texas has 454 Wendy's locations — second-most in the U.S.
Katy has seven Wendy's locations:
- 1484 Katy Fort Bend Road, Katy, TX 77493
- 1717 Spring Green Boulevard, Katy, TX 77494
- 2201 S. Mason Road, Katy, TX 77450
- 25540 Kingsland Boulevard, Katy, TX 77494
- 2930 N Mason Road, Katy, TX 77449
- 307 S Fry Road, Katy, TX 77450
- 5929 FM 1463, Suite 100, Katy, TX 77494
Interim CEO Ken Cook announced the closures during a Friday earnings call, saying the company would close a "mid-single-digit percentage" of its approximately 6,000 U.S. locations. The closures will begin in the fourth quarter of 2025 and continue through 2026.
"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," Cook said. "The goal is to address and fix those restaurants."
Texas has 454 Wendy's locations, making it the state with the second-most Wendy's restaurants in the country after Florida, according to the company's website."Given this work is underway and ongoing, we can't provide specific locations of closures at this time," the company said in a statement.
The closures are part of Wendy's "Project Fresh" turnaround plan launched in October. Cook said the company is evaluating each underperforming restaurant on a case-by-case basis from both a financial and customer experience perspective.
In some cases, Wendy's will make improvements to struggling stores, including adding technology or equipment. In other cases, the company will transfer ownership to a different operator or close the restaurant.
"Closures of underperforming units are expected to boost sales and profitability at nearby locations," Cook said.
The announcement comes as Wendy's reported a 4.7% decline in U.S. same-store sales in the third quarter, while competitors McDonald's and Burger King posted positive earnings.
In November 2024, Wendy's announced plans to close 140 underperforming stores. That round of closures has already been completed.