The nation’s No. 2 burger chain, Wendy’s, is continuing its Project Fresh turnaround strategy, that it launched in 2025, which calls for the company to shutter up to about 350 underperforming locations.
Wendy’s in late July 2026 abruptly closed a restaurant at 4003 Wilmington Pike in Kettering, Ohio, with a sign posted on its front door which read: “This location is permanently closed.” The sign invited customers to visit its nearby store at 1880 E. Dorothy Lane, about 1.5 miles away, according to WDNT-TV.
The Kettering closing was the second Wendy’s closure in the Dayton area in the last four months, as the chain closed a location in Moraine, Ohio, in March 2026, according to the Dayton Business Journal.
Wendy’s has not listed any other locations that are currently scheduled for closing.
Wendy’s is closing about 290 to 350 locations under its Project Fresh restructuring program.
Wendy’s closes locations in restructuring
Wendy’s, which closed 28 locations under the Project Fresh program in 2025, planned to close 5%-6% of its U.S. restaurant locations, or about 292 to 350 underperforming units, in 2026, according to its fourth quarter earnings call reported by The Motley Fool.
The fast-food burger chain had roughly 5,831 locations listed on its website at the time of its Feb. 13 fourth quarter earnings call.
“By closing consistently underperforming restaurants, we are enabling our franchisee partners to increase focus on locations with the greatest potential for profitable growth,” CEO Ken Cook said in the fourth quarter earnings call.
Chain shutters 5% to 6% of locations
Cook said that Wendy’s is still targeting closure of 5% to 6% of its U.S. locations under its Project Fresh program to reduce the number of underperforming units to improve profitability and franchisee economics, according to the company’s first quarter earnings call in May.
The giant fast-food hamburger chain reported a 5.5% decline in global system wide sales driven by a 7.8% decrease in U.S. same restaurant sales in the first quarter ending March 29, 2026, which were improvements compared to the fourth quarter’s performance, according to the earnings call presentation on its website.
Wendy’s Project Fresh Plan
- Closed 28 underperforming locations in 2025.
- Chain will close 5% to 6% of its restaurants.
- Company could close about 290 to 350 of 5,830 locations.
- Source: Earnings Call Transcript
The restaurant chain also reported a 6% increase in international system wide sales.
Wendy’s previously closed two Dayton area locations in Beavercreek and Miami Township, Ohio, in December 2024 as part of an effort to close 140 underperforming units by the end of that year, according to WHIO-TV.
The Columbus, Ohio-based burger chain was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas and operates over 7,000 locations worldwide, according to its website
White Castle closes locations
Another iconic burger chain, White Castle, which operates over 300 restaurants in the U.S., has closed at least five locations this year in St. Paul, Minn.; Queens and Brooklyn, New York; and two in Las Vegas.
The company’s closings have mostly come prior to the sale of restaurant properties driven by rising property values, as was the case in Minnesota and New York.
The Las Vegas locations that closed were part of a portfolio of five stores licensed to a local operator, which White Castle purchased. The restaurant chain continued operating three of the locations but closed two stores that did not match its long-term operating strategy.
The Columbus, Ohio-based fast-food chain was founded in Wichita, Kan., in 1921, serving the Original Sliders small, square hamburgers, served with pickles and onions.
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