More Than 100 Wendy’s Are Expected to Close In 2024

Wendy’s may be leaving your neighborhood in 2024. The fast-food chain plans to close more than 100 of its locations nationwide this year.

If a Wendy’s near you closes, it can help you stretch your fast food budget. But that's probably a small consolation if you love Wendy’s hamburgers and frosties.

Here's what you need to know about the closures scheduled for this year.

The good news is that Wendy’s isn’t closing all of its locations, so you don’t have to worry about never getting a Frosty again.

There are more than 6,500 Wendy’s locations worldwide, and the company has no plans to close all of them.

During an earnings call in May, Wendy’s CFO Gunther Plosch announced that around 100 locations would close in 2024.

According to Plosch, the move is simply part of the company’s ongoing plans and the “rhythm in our business. "

Wendy’s has already closed some of its locations. According to news reports, 27 restaurants closed their doors in the first three months of the year.

That means customers in those areas now have to find another local Wendy’s to get a burger, Frosty, and fries.

The closures are impacting cities across the country.

For example, the Starboard Group — which owns locations in Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Florida, and Alabama — filed for bankruptcy, leading to many closures.

A Wendy’s in Hammonton, New Jersey, also shut down this year, reportedly due to the restaurant's lease expired.

The good news is that Wendy’s is also planning to open new locations throughout the country, with 35 new openings in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

For example, a new Wendy’s opened at 8700 Richmond Highway in Alexandria, Virginia, earlier this year, while Staten Island got a new Wendy’s at 2970 Hylan Blvd.

The restaurant chain also announced a redesign in 2022, with existing locations getting a makeover to look more modern.

Several local restaurants have reopened in recent months to celebrate the changes, such as Wendy’s at 12114 Darnestown Road in Gaithersburg, Maryland, or the one at 22052 Allen Road in Woodhaven, Michigan.

A FinanceBuzz survey of fast-food prices found that, like other fast-food restaurants, Wendy’s has hiked its prices in the past decade.

Most notably, a small Frosty cost 99 cents in 2014 compared to $2.09 now, a 111% increase in price.

However, a 55% rise in the average price of items at Wendy’s is still low compared to cost hikes at other chains. 

McDonald’s, for example, saw a 100% rise in price between 2014 and 2024, while Popeyes saw an 86% increase, and Taco Bell had an 81% rise during that same period.

Wendy’s ruffled some feathers with consumers earlier this year when CEO Kirk Tanner said the restaurant chain would experiment with its pricing beginning in 2025.

During an earnings call in February, Tanner stated, “Beginning as early as 2025, we will begin testing more enhanced features like dynamic pricing and daypart offerings, along with AI-enabled menu changes and suggestive selling.”

After a consumer backlash to Tanner’s comments, Wendy's issued a statement emphasizing that it "will not implement surge pricing."

Other companies use surge pricing to charge more during the busiest times.

In a statement, Wendy’s said the following: “We have no plans to do that and would not raise prices when our customers are visiting us most.”

Wendy’s can be a good option if you need a quick bite to eat, but check to make sure your location is still open before you make a trip.

And if you want to keep more cash in your wallet, download the Wendy’s mobile app to help you save money via rewards or in-app discounts.