Fast Food Chain With Hundreds Of PA Locations Closing Numerous Restaurants Nationwide

PENNSYLVANIA — One of the nation's largest fast food chains, which operates hundreds of restaurants across, the state will be shuttering hundreds of its eateries across the country.

The impending closures were disclosed Friday by Wendy's interim CEO Ken Cook in a conference call with financial analysts.

"In terms of system optimization, based on the information we have today, I’d estimate around a mid-single-digit percentage of U.S. restaurants would end up closing," he said.

What does that mean numerically? Wendy's has approximately 6,000 restaurants nationwide. Based on Cook's estimate, that means as many as 350 restaurants could be shuttered.

According to Wendy's website, the chain currently operates 255 restaurants in Pennsylvania. The cities with the most locations are Philadelphia with 22 and Pittsburgh with 12. Those numbers do not reflect the number of Wendy's restaurants in the suburbs of those cities.

Wendy's did not detail which locations will be shuttered, and Cook did not detail when the closures will occur.

"I think we’ll work through a detailed and programmatic process with our franchisees to determine the best pace of that and make sure that we are making the best decisions for the long-term health of the overall system," he said.

The closure revelations come a month after Wendy's announced a turnaround plan it calls Project Fresh. The plans is structured around four pillars: brand revitalization, operational excellence, system optimization and capital allocation, designed to attract new Wendy's customers through compelling marketing and exceptional customer experiences.