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Wendy’s said it will close several hundred restaurants in the United States and put more emphasis on value as it tries to reverse a sales slide that worsened in the latest quarter. The Dublin, Ohio-based company said its global same-store sales fell 10% in the October-December period, a bigger decline than the 8.5% drop expected by analysts polled by FactSet.
In the United States, Wendy’s said same-store sales fell even further in the fourth quarter, following a plan it disclosed late last year to close underperforming restaurants. On Friday, the company provided additional details about the closures, saying it has already shut 28 U.S. locations in the fourth quarter.
Wendy’s said it ended 2025 with 5,969 U.S. locations. For the first half of this year, the company expects to close between 5% and 6% of its U.S. restaurants—298 to 358 locations—according to its forecast.
The planned cuts build on actions taken in earlier restructuring. Wendy’s said the latest closures come on top of the closure of 240 U.S. locations in 2024, when it said many of its sites were simply out of date.
Wendy’s also pointed to menu changes aimed at inflation-weary customers, aligning its approach with rivals such as McDonald’s and Taco Bell that have leaned more heavily on low-priced offerings. “One learning from 2025 around value, we swung the pendulum too far towards limited-time price promotions instead of everyday value,” said Ken Cook, Wendy’s interim CEO and chief financial officer, during a conference call with investors.
In January, Wendy’s introduced a permanent “Biggie Deals” value menu. The company said the menu features three price tiers: $4 Biggie Bites, $6 Biggie Bags and an $8 Biggie Bundle.
Wendy’s said it also plans new products this year, including a new chicken sandwich. The company reported revenue fell 5.5% in the fourth quarter to $543 million, slightly above the $537 million forecast from analysts.
Wendy’s expressed confidence that its U.S. turnaround plans and international growth will help arrest its sales slide during 2026. The company said it expects global systemwide sales—covering both company-owned and franchised restaurants—to be flat this year after systemwide sales fell 3.5% last year.