USA | The Wendy's Company has reported unaudited results for the first quarter ended March 29, 2026, including global systemwide sales growth.
Ken Cook, Interim CEO, said the chain had taken decisive action to strengthen the Wendy's system and improve performance.
"During the first quarter, we introduced a new Biggie platform, upgraded our premium hamburgers, and launched new chicken sandwiches. Additionally, our focus on operational excellence is driving improvement in order accuracy and key customer satisfaction metrics,” said Cook.
“While our first quarter results reflect a business in the early stages of a turnaround, we are making progress to improve our U.S. business and are confident in the direction we are heading."
Cook said the company’s international business has continued to deliver strong results, with systemwide sales up 6.0 percent in the quarter, supported by further expansion in key growth markets.
“We're also excited to announce today a new franchise agreement with an experienced restaurant operator to build up to 1,000 restaurants across China over the next 10 years and look forward to bringing Wendy's to more fans around the globe," he said.
"These actions are strengthening our foundation and positioning Wendy's to regain momentum and deliver sustainable growth and long-term value creation."
Global systemwide sales decreased, driven largely by lower U.S. same-restaurant sales, partially offset by contributions from new restaurant openings.
The increase in total reported revenues resulted primarily from an increase in franchise fees related to the system optimisation program, higher advertising funds revenue due to local advertising funds being reallocated to U.S. national advertising, and higher Company-operated restaurant sales reflecting the Company's acquisition of franchise-operated restaurants during the third quarter of 2025. These were partially offset by lower franchise royalty revenue.
The Company did not repurchase any shares in the first quarter of 2026 and has not repurchased any shares in the second quarter of 2026 as of the date of this release. As of May 1, approximately USD 35.0 million remained available under the Company's existing share repurchase authorisation that expires in February 2027.
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