Wendy’s hopes to win back customers with free offer | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Wendy’s (WEN) , like many fast-food chains across the country, is battling a startling shift in customer behavior.

In Wendy’s first-quarter earnings report for 2025, it revealed that its same-store sales in the U.S. declined by almost 3% year-over-year, while total revenues declined by roughly 2%.

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Also, according to recent data from Placer.ai, foot traffic in Wendy’s restaurants shrank by 4.6% year-over-year during the quarter, the steepest decline compared to its competitors such as KFC, Burger King, and Popeyes, which all also suffered waning customer visits.

During an earnings call in May, Wendy’s Chief Financial Officer Ken Cook said that the fast-food chain is operating in “a challenging environment.”

“During the first quarter, QSR burger traffic was below these industry forecasts, driven by the combination of adverse winter weather in the first half of the quarter and a pullback in consumer demand,” said Cook.

He said that the company has noticed that customers who have an annual income of under $75,000 were the most pressured financially during the quarter. The low consumer demand comes after fast-food prices increased by almost 47% over the past decade.

To address this alarming consumer trend, Wendy’s is making some major changes to win back frugal customers.

“In response to changing consumer behavior, we’re launching a new one hundred days of summer campaign to provide customers even more of our fresh, famous food through core innovation, collaborations, and value offerings at a time when our customers need it most,” said Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner during the earnings call.

A Wendy’s meal is displayed on a table.

Image source&colon; Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Wendy’s launches generous offer for customers

As part of this new strategy, Wendy’s has announced the return of a generous offer for customers to boost its low sales.

Through the Wendy’s app, customers can now claim an offer that includes free fries (excluding seasoned potatoes, topped fries and Fuego Fries) with any purchase. The deal is available every Friday until the end of the year.

Customers can use the offer for a mobile order or load it to their digital card and scan it at a register in stores.

In April last year, Wendy’s launched the same offer, which lasted until the end of 2024.

The move from Wendy’s comes during a time when it is offering a buy one, get one free 10-piece chicken nuggets deal through its app.

It also recently announced a collaboration with Takis to created a limited-time Takis Fuego meal, which consists of a Takis Fuego Chicken sandwich and Takis Fuego fries.

Wendy’s follows in the footsteps of its struggling competitors

It is no surprise that Wendy’s is boosting its innovation and deals to repair weak consumer demand.

According to data from Ipsos Consumer Tracker last year, 34% of U.S. consumers have cut back on having dinner at fast-food restaurants. Also, 30% said they have avoided getting dinner from takeout or delivery, while 45% said they cook dinner at home more frequently.

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“Over 40% of low-income U.S. adults claim to be visiting quick service restaurants (QSRs) less often for dinner and lunch than at the start of this year,”said Wendy Wallner, a executive vice president at Ipsos, in the survey.

Wendy’s is one of many fast-food chains that have been betting big on deals to reverse consistent low sales.

Just last month, Domino’s Pizza announced the return of its beloved “Best Deal Ever” promotion, which is set to last until Aug. 3, after revealing that its U.S. same-store sales declined by 0.5% year-over-year during the first quarter. The deal offers pizza with any toppings for $9.99 when customers order online.

Earlier this year, McDonald’s, which has faced declining sales over the past few financial quarters, launched a McValue menu. It introduced its Buy One, Add One for $1 deal, which offers an item of customers’ choosing for $1 when they purchase another full-priced menu item.