Iconic American hamburger brand Wendy’s® announces intent to enter Ireland
- Wendy’s is actively recruiting franchise partners
- Successful UK market entry propels the brand to further expand across Europe
Wendy’s®, the iconic American hamburger brand, has announced plans to enter the Irish market to further expand its brand presence across Europe. The Company is actively seeking well-established franchisee candidates in Ireland that have strong operations experience, local development expertise, ambition to grow quickly and a proven track record of growing brands in Ireland to help Wendy’s reach its full potential.
With more than 7,000 restaurants worldwide, Wendy’s® has an ambitious strategy to accelerate global growth using its franchising model, following its recent success in the United Kingdom. Wendy’s re-entered the UK in June 2021, serving as the foothold to drive strategic growth across Europe. The brand has a total of 25 restaurants currently operating in the UK, ten of which are Company-operated, and recently announced expansion plans to Yorkshire and Lincolnshire with its first franchisee to open a traditional Wendy’s restaurant in the UK. Alongside franchise development, the Company is also actively building a pipeline of traditional restaurants in the northwest focused on the Liverpool and Greater Manchester areas.
Abigail Pringle, President, International & Chief Development Officer of The Wendy’s Company said, “Quality is at the core of everything we do, including our food and our people. As we continue to expand our international footprint, we are focused on building long-term relationships with franchisees in Ireland who want to grow with us, share our values and reflect the communities in which we operate,” Pringle said. “We are committed to serving high-quality, great tasting food, and intend to offer our wide range of craveable menu options, including our famous square hamburgers made with fresh beef patties and served hot off the grill.”
Wendy’s founder, Dave Thomas, opened the first Wendy’s restaurant in 1969 with an unwavering commitment to serve fresh, high-quality food, at a fair price, in a comfortable atmosphere. The global quick-service restaurant brand based in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A., is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers, freshly prepared salads, and other signature items like chili, baked potatoes and the Frosty dessert. Both the name “Wendy’s” and the Cameo logo – the little red-headed girl with pigtails – were inspired by one of his daughters.
Today, with more than 50 years of success in the quick-service restaurant industry, Wendy’s remains committed to honoring Dave’s long-standing legacy.
To support its search, Wendy’s has partnered with Platinum Wave, a consulting firm with more than 20 years of building franchises for UK and International markets. For those interested in learning more about Wendy’s franchising opportunities in Ireland, the United Kingdom or other European markets, please contact Steve Lampshire at [email protected].
