Wendy’s opening in Australia sets records

The namesake Wendy character has more piercing eyes in this Australian version. | Photo courtesy of Flynn Group.

Wendy’s may be struggling to reverse a sales slide in the U.S., but one franchisee has high hopes for Australia.

That franchisee, however, is Greg Flynn, whose Flynn Group is the largest franchising business in the world. In addition to Wendy’s, the group operates more than 2,900 businesses, including Applebee’s, Arby’s, Taco Bell, Panera, Pizza Hut and Planet Fitness. The Flynn Group recently announced plans to add the 7 Brew drive-thru coffee brand to the portfolio.

For Wendy’s, the Flynn Group’s flagship opening in Brisbane, Australia, has set records as the biggest yet for the chain, exceeding records for both opening day and opening week sales.

The Haus of Wendy’s flagship opened Oct. 29 in Brisbane, Australia. | Photo courtesy of Flynn Group.

Dubbed the Haus of Wendy, the two-story restaurant opened Oct. 29 and in the first seven days served more than 17,000 burgers, 18,000 chicken tenders and 6,500 Frostys, the company said.

In 2023, Flynn signed a master franchise agreement for Australia with plans to develop about 200 restaurants over the next decade. The group also owns and operates about 260 Pizza Hut units there.

The Haus of Wendy in Brisbane is actually the group’s second Wendy’s unit in Australia. The first opened in January on Australia’s Gold Coast. Flynn Group plans to have 20 units across Queensland, Victoria and New South Wales within two years.

“This opening reflects our commitment to building for the long term,” said Lauren Leahy, Flynn Group’s chief transformation officer, in a statement. “Every element, from design and menu to customer experience, has been developed for the Australian market. The Haus of Wendy is proof of what’s possible when you take a global icon and deliver it with authentic local flavor.”

Last year, Flynn also acquired 21 Wendy’s units in New Zealand, and the franchise group is the sole operator in both countries.

Wendy’s, which operates and franchises more than 7,250 restaurants globally, including 1,350 outside the U.S., has been plotting a global push for some time.

Earlier this year, the Dublin, Ohio-based chain said it planned to add 1,000 units globally over three years, reaching between 8,100 and 8,300 restaurants worldwide by 2028 with global system sales of up to $18 billion. 

Since then, however, CEO Kirk Tanner resigned and was replaced by interim CEO Ken Cook, who has been focused on improving domestic operations and reversing a slide in sales. Cook has said a review of U.S. restaurants could result in the eventual closure of about 300 units.

The flagship in Brisbane is the second of 200 planned there over 10 years. | Photo courtesy of Flynn Group.

But Wendy’s is among a number of U.S.-based chains dealing with domestic challenges while international locations thrive, including brands like Burger King, KFC, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Starbucks.

E.J. Wunsch, Wendy’s president, international, said in a statement that Australia will be an important part of Wendy’s global growth strategy. 

“Australia has set the pace to beat,” Wunsch said. “Together, we are bringing Wendy’s ‘Globally Great, Locally Better’ approach to life—and we are just getting started.”

 

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Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts.

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