Local Wendy's Closing???

[gate_pourri]

I was in line at my local Wendy's this afternoon and someone mentioned that it was closing. Any idea how to find out if that is true? I only go once a month or less, but admit to having a soft spot for their chili.

 

[Cindy B]

I don't think all Wendy's are closing. (Maybe just that location?). There was a Wendy's built brand new near my home. Less than 6 months later it closed up and it became a bank.

 

[LindaG4458]

Our Wendy's closed the Monday after Thanksgiving. The staff was inside, waiting on customers, upper management arrived, and the restaurant closed that night. All the fixtures have now been removed and there is a FOR SALE sign in the window. DH and I ate there at least once per week, so we really miss it.

I posted the recipe for the Wendy's chili on the chili thread. I made it and it does taste very close to the real thing.

 

[MoniqueU]

Our Wendys seem to be doing a booming business, We have figured out they have the best least expensive value menu for what we like. It seems others have discovered the price difference as well.

 

[DebbieB]

Didn't they merge with the company who owns Arbys?

 

[LindaG4458]

Didn't they merge with the company who owns Arbys?

Yes, they did. We were hoping that ours would reopen as a Wendy's-Arby's combination restaurant, but no luck.

 

[JessR]

Im sure with the economy they are cutting back on the total stores.

 

[kafitty]

this is a good sign that things are starting to go REALLY REALLY bad...i keep saying, when McDonald's goes under, that's when i'll really panic!!

 

[wardfamily1]

I know of 3 Wendy's in my area that closed over the last year.

I heard (I never confirmed it) after Dave Thomas died, some corporation bought them out and they've been going downhill ever since.

I hope they don't go out of business. I love their chili and frostys too!

 

[JESW]

We were just there today and it was packed! Ours is one just off the highway so I am sure they get a lot of business that way.

I hope they don't close as I also like their chili.

Jill

 

[Lib E]

The Wendy's by me are all franchises. I would guess corporate wouldn't assume a franchise unless it was a really profitable one.

 

[RangerPooh]

I hope they don't close ours! I love their frosties

 

[Planogirl]

I like to occasionally get a chili there and if I treat myself, a frosty with it. Chili and frosties go well together.

I did come across a closed Wendy's in Dallas recently. It surprised me because it's on a major street and there's no other Wendy's nearby as far as I know.

 

[Metro West]

The location near me is doing pretty well although they don't open at 6am any longer...they open at 7am for breakfast.

 

[wendylady36]

Two near me closed, but there's still one close by that is open.

 

[friendofgusgus]

We lost a bunch in Western MA last year when the franchisee went bankrupt. We learned that Wendy's corporate will not allow a franchisee to run their restaurant completely into the ground. They will close them down by pulling the franchise, usually before the customers can guess what's going on.

 

[VolvoManiac850]

I normally shop at a mall called Ross Park. For 20 years there was a Wendy's at the food court, which seemed to be its biggest business. Then one day two years ago they pulled it and replaced it with some place called Flamers. It caught everyone by surprise, as Wendy's was the centerpiece of that food court.

I don't think Wendy's was in much financial trouble at the time so I'm guessing it was the mall raising their rates again (which is how a lot of tenants leave it) but this could have been an early warning sign that the corporation was doing worse than I had thought.

 

[Callie]

Our Wendy's sadly have been going down hill

 

[VolvoManiac850]

The downhill spiral started when Dave Thomas died. After he couldn't be in the ads anymore they had some really awful marketing. They tried Mr. Wendy, who was, to me, a blatant rip-off of Joe Isuzu, only not effective or funny. Then they had the guys wearing bright red braided pigtails. These campaigns were dumb and certainly didn't get me to eat at Wendy's. There was also that incident where a woman found a finger in her chili, which drove me away for a while (I used to eat Wendy's chili all the time). Wendy's even canned the Biggie name, which was, well, what made Wendy's Wendy's.

I can't eat fried food so I rely on good grilled chicken sandwiches (minus mayo), baked potatoes, salads, and chili at fast food restaurants. Wendy's had been my number one choice but I too have noticed the overall quality sliding. I switched alliances to Panera Bread a few years ago (both for the non-greasy food and because a lot of my friends got jobs there) and haven't been to a Wendy's in some time, but I hear it's not getting any better...