Major Fast Food Chain To Close Hundreds Of Locations: What To Know In NJ

Fast food giant Wendy's announced that it plans to shutter hundreds of locations across the United States as part of an effort to improve profitability and reverse declining sales, according to reports.

During a quarterly earnings call on Friday, Interim Chief Executive Ken Cook said the company will close a “mid single-digit percentage” of locations, USA Today reported.

With around 6,000 locations nationwide, that would amount to roughly 240 to 360 stores.

One investor estimated the number at about 300 locations during the call, the report said. The closures are expected to begin this year and continue through next year, according to Fast Company.

Wendy’s has 145 locations in New Jersey, including in:

• Bayonne
• Belleville
• Bellmawr
• Bergenfield
• Bloomfield
• Bogota
• Bordentown
• Branchburg
• Brick
• Bridgeton
• Bridgewater
• Burlington
• Butler
• Cherry Hill
• Chester
• Clark
• Clementon
• Clifton
• Clinton
• Cranbury
• Delran
• Deptford
• East Brunswick
• East Hanover
• East Orange
• East Rutherford
• East Windsor
• Edison
• Egg Harbor City
• Egg Harbor Township
• Elizabeth
• Elmwood Park
• Englishtown
• Flanders
• Flemington
• Fort Lee
• Franklin
• Freehold
• Garwood
• Glassboro
• Hackettstown
• Hamilton
• Harrison
• Hillsborough
• Hillsdale
• Hillside
• Howell
• Jersey City
• Keyport
• Lake Hopatcong
• Lanoka Harbor
• Lawnside
• Lawrenceville
• Ledgewood
• Linder
• Lyndhurst
• Manahawkin
• Middlesex
• Middletown Township
• Midland Park
• Milltown
• Millville
• Monmouth Junction
• Mount Laurel
• Newark
• North Bergen
• North Brunswick Township
• Northfield
• Ocean
• Old Bridge
• Orange
• Paramus
• Parsippany
• Passaic
• Paterson
• Pennsauken
• Perth Amboy
• Pilesgrove
• Pine Brook
• Piscwatay
• Plainfield
• Point Pleasant Beach
• Pompton Lakes
• Princeton
• Rahway
• Ramsey
• Randolph
• Roselle
• Rutherford
• Secaucus
• Sewell
• Short Hills
• Sicklerville
• Somers Point
• Somerset
• South Hackensack
• South Plainfield
• Swedesboro
• Thorofare
• Tinton Falls
• Toms River
• Trenton
• Union
• Vineland
• Voorhees
• Wall Township
• Wayne
• West Caldwell
• West New York
• Whiting
• Wood-Ridge
• Woodbridge
• Woodbury Heights
• Wrightstown

"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," Cook said during the call. "The goal is to address and fix those restaurants."

When contacted by Fast Company, Wendy’s declined to provide a specific list of locations slated for closure.

The news came as Wendy's reported third-quarter profits of $44.3 million and revenue of $549.5 million. Globalwide, sales were at $3.5 billion, a decrease of 2.6 percent. In the U.S., sales declined 3 percent in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the same time in 2024.

The decision by Wendy's comes a year after the company said it planned to close 140 "outdated" stores in underperforming areas.

While the additional 140 closures would have left Wendy's growth count flat for 2024, former CEO Kirk Tanner said it set the company up for faster expansion starting next year, Business Insider reported.

"We have designed this initiative to ensure that, over time, many of these units will be replaced by new restaurants at better locations with significantly improved sales and profitability," Tanner said.

Wendy's is the latest fast food chain to announce closures in 2025.

In April, Jack in the Box said it planned to close as many as 200 of its locations as part of a plan to improve the company's financial outlook.

A month earlier, the gourmet burger chain Red Robin said it would close around 70 underperforming locations.