Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Aug 05, 2026

Wendy's stock jumps on long-term sales outlook and plans for breakfast, European expansion

Wendy's on Friday shared more detail about its plan to launch breakfast nationwide at its investor day.

Wendy’s executives shared more detail about its 2020 nationwide breakfast launch at the company’s investor day Friday.


The company anticipates that breakfast sales grow to at least 10% of its total daily sales.


The burger chain is also exploring meat alternatives and is testing a black bean burger.


Wendy’s will return to the United Kingdom in the next 12 to 18 months.

Wendy’s on Friday shared more detail about its plan to launch breakfast nationwide, add new products and expand in Europe at its investor day.

It also teased its unreleased third-quarter financial results. Wendy’s CEO Todd Penegor reported North American same-store sales growth of 4.4%, helped by the return of its spicy nuggets. The company is scheduled to report its earnings Nov. 6.

Between 2021 to 2024, Wendy’s expects annual global system-wide sales in range of 4% to 5%.

Shares of the company, which has a market value of $4.6 billion, jumped 6.4% in morning trading.

The burger chain announced its breakfast plans in September. Wendy’s plans to invest about $20 million to support its U.S. stores in preparation for the early 2020 launch. The company also cut its forecast for fiscal 2019 adjusted earnings at that time, expecting a decline in a range of 3.5% to 6.5%.

Wendy’s anticipates that breakfast sales will grow to at least 10% of its total daily sales.

The company has attempted to enter breakfast three times previously, and analysts have expressed skepticism that this time around will be different.

“We really are building this program in a different way,” Wendy’s U.S. President Kurt Kane told investors.

Kane said that the company worked with franchisees to create the breakfast program.

“They really pushed us hard to make sure that we had something that could work for our entire system,” he said.

Thanks to the company’s investments in the program, executives expect that breakfast will be immediately profitable for franchisees.

Menu items will include the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, Breakfast Baconator and the Frosty-ccino, but the chain is planning on limiting the number of breakfast items, compared to past launches. Wendy’s also created a new custom blend of coffee.

This time around will not include any equipment expenses, which previously could cost franchisees up to $10,000.

Wendy’s past breakfast attempts started regionally, which meant that advertising was locally based. The company is planning on using national media for its 2020 launch.

With the exception of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Arby’s and Yum Brands’ KFC, Wendy’s competitors have all been in breakfast for years. Kane said that the company will be able to go head-to-head against Chick-fil-A with its chicken biscuit.

“We do anticipate significant competitive response,” Kane said.

Breakfast is not the only menu addition that Wendy’s has been exploring. Kane said that the chain is currently testing black bean burgers, which could be launched next year if it goes well.

Kane said the company is also exploring other meat alternatives. Restaurant Brands International’s Burger King has launched its plant-based Impossible Whopper nationwide, while McDonald’s is testing its own version made with Beyond Meat.


Global expansion plans


Between 2020 and 2024, Wendy’s plans to grow its global restaurant store count by 3% annually — double 2019′s expected growth rate. Some of that growth will come from Wendy’s expansion into Europe in the next 12 to 18 months. The burger chain has tried to enter European markets over the years.

By 2024, Wendy’s wants more than 1,500 international stores. It currently has roughly 950 international locations.

To launch in Europe, Wendy’s plans to reenter the United Kingdom, making the country its first European market. The company said that it’s done extensive research and talked with more than 3,000 British consumers.

“And yes, we’ve thought about Brexit,” Abigail Pringle, Wendy’s head of U.S. development and international president, told investors.

Chick-fil-A recently opened its first location in the U.K.

The next phase will be launching in European markets with a high potential of success, and Wendy’s is in discussions with potential franchisees.

In Wendy’s domestic market, the burger chain is looking to major U.S. cities and locations near military bases and college campuses. Part of its U.S. store growth will come from nontraditional locations, including dark kitchens, which are also known as ghost or virtual kitchens. Ghost kitchens are smaller format stores that are only meant to cook food for delivery orders.

Pringle said that the burger chain will have two dark kitchens open in high delivery markets by the end of the year.


Digital strategy


Out of Wendy’s total U.S. sales, 2% come from digital channels. It wants to expand its digital orders to 10% of total U.S. sales by 2024.

The burger chain has partnered with DoorDash for delivery and announced additional partnerships with UberEats and GrubHub Friday. Wendy’s reported 50% to 60% higher check prices on delivery orders.

Laura Titas, Wendy’s chief digital experience officer, said that the company will also launch in-app delivery, giving the company access to customer data and driving more people to its app. Mobile ordering leads to 20% higher check sizes for Wendy’s.

Titas also said Wendy’s will launch a loyalty program in 2020 to drive more frequent visits to its locations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
AI Is Remaking the US Economy, From GDP Growth to iPhone Prices
FIFA’s Retreat Leaves a Larger Question Over Who Guards the Game
Finland Deploys Commercial-Scale Thermal Batteries Using Crushed Rock to Store Renewable Grid Energy
Valued at $109 Million: F-35B Fighter Jet Crashes in Southern California
US Says It Has Carried Out Heavy Strikes on Iran After Attempted Attacks on Its Forces
Over 24 Hours in the Air: Qantas Airbus Completes Record-Breaking Test Flight
Arrest Warrant Issued in Lebanon for Tycoon Spotted Meeting Netanyahu in Washington
Trump says Israel ‘would not survive’ without US
Nvidia Reportedly Takes Vast Texas Data-Centre Lease to Underwrite AI Expansion
FIFA’s Private-Investment Plan for World Cup Rights Draws European Revolt
Following OpenAI's Cyberattack: 'Most Companies Still Do Not Understand What Is Coming'
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Miliband Sets Climate and International Law at Centre of UK Diplomacy
Pentagon Discloses Nearly 100 US Troop Injuries During Renewed Iran Fighting
Trump Readies New Tariffs as Temporary Global Levy Nears Expiry
High Prices Push Coffee Drinkers Toward Whole Beans and Home Brewing
Trump Draws Boos and Podium Scrutiny at Spain’s World Cup Triumph
Spain Defeats Argentina in Extra Time to Win Second World Cup
Turkey Explores S-400 Transfer to UAE in Bid to Rejoin F-35 Program
US Retaliates Against Iran After Two American Troops Killed in Jordan
Proposed U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Pact Could Permit Limited Uranium Enrichment Under International Safeguards
Why Kentucky Fried Chicken Became KFC—and Why the False Explanations Persist
Iran Claims It Destroyed Bahrain’s Main Artificial Intelligence Center in Missile and Drone Strike
Ukrainian Drones Strike Wildberries Warehouses Deep Inside Russia
Reported CIA Mission Helped Clear the UAE’s Path to Advanced US AI Chips
Artificial Intelligence Capital Fuels Markets While Governments and Regulators Face Mounting Strategic Tests
China’s Moonshot’s Kimi K3 Narrows the Gap With Anthropic Through Scale, Openness and Lower Cost
The Ledger Will Not Trust on Faith
Passenger Bound for Germany Refused to Sit Beside a Woman on a Plane — Then Slapped a Flight Attendant
Ukraine’s Leadership Rift Spills Into the Streets as Protesters Target Army Chief
The Ten World Cup Finals That Defined Football History
Smartphones Are Getting More Expensive, Sales Are Collapsing, and Even Apple Admits: "Prices Will Rise"
Leadership Change and Strategic Rivalry Redraw the Political Map
The AI Race Enters Its Infrastructure Era
Britain Nationalises British Steel to Protect Scunthorpe Production and Strategic Supply
Thomas Tuchel Faces Fierce Backlash After Tactical Retreat Costs England World Cup Final Berth
A Quiet Bastille Day: France Grapples with World Cup Heartbreak and Leftover Fireworks
Spain in Ecstasy: "We Feel Unbeatable, We Taught the Whole World a Lesson"
Harvard Astrophysicist to Lead U.S. Scientific Advisory on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena
Emergency Sirens Activated Across Bahrain as Interior Ministry Issues Shelter Directives
World Cup Visitors Turn American Big-Box Stores Into Souvenir Stops
Netflix Weighs Always-On Channels, Bundles and Short-Form Video
The AI Invoice Shock: Layoffs Didn't Save Managers Money — They Cost Them More
Concern: Sexually Transmitted Bacterium Among Men Develops Antibiotic Resistance
Passenger Partially Pulled Out of Ryanair Jet After Cabin Window Fails Mid-Flight
Severe Heatwave Drives Dangerous Ground-Level Ozone Pollution Across Two Thirds of European Union
The Physical and Electronic Barriers Disrupting Domestic Wireless Networks
France and Morocco Open World Cup Quarter-Finals as Collina Defends Refereeing
Tech Pulse: The Future of AI and Screen Culture
Global News Briefing: Escalating Geopolitical Tensions and Corporate Shakeups
×