Fast food chain Wendy’s is planning to close hundreds more stores just a year after shuttering 140 locations. The closings could include some stores in New Hampshire and Maine.
Interim CEO Ken Cook told investors in a Friday, Nov. 7, quarterly earnings call that the company would be closing a “mid single-digit percentage” of locations. With around 6,000 locations still operating nationwide, this would amount to roughly 240 to 360 stores. One investor estimated the number at about 300 locations during the call.
“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,” said Cook. “The goal is to address and fix those restaurants.”
In some cases, that will mean making improvements to technology or equipment or transferring struggling locations to new operators. In others, he said, it will mean closing the restaurants altogether.
How many Wendy’s fast-food restaurants in New Hampshire, Maine, U.S. will be closed?
The closures are expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year, Cook said. While 240 to 360 stores are expected to close, a list of exact locations slated for closure has not been announced.
How many Wendy’s are in New Hampshire?
Wendy’s has 23 locations in New Hampshire, according its website. That includes five on the Seacoast, with one each in Dover, Lee, Portsmouth, Rochester and Seabrook.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald. Reporting by Mary Walrath-Holdridge
