What the Hell Happened to Wendy’s?

Right now, as you read this very story, a Wendy’s somewhere is closing. In February, the chain announced that it would shutter at least 300 locations in the first half of 2026 in a ketchup-tinted bloodbath that followed a shocking 11.3 percent drop in same-store sales–the industry’s key measure of year-over-year growth–at the end of last year. Whatever the final death tally, the losses will add up to somewhere around 5 to 6 percent of Wendy’s total store count.