Wendy’s, the popular American burger giant, is planning to open “hundreds” of restaurants in Australia as part of its global expansion plan to increase its restaurant numbers by 1,500 over the next two years.
Wendy’s Chief Development Officer Abigail Pringle will hold virtual meetings with potential franchisee investors this week to discuss the company’s plan to become a major fast food player Down Under.
Wendy’s, known for its square hamburgers, French fries, and ‘Frosty’ frozen dairy desserts, is different from McDonald’s and Hungry Jack’s as it has a strictly made-to-order policy and does not use heat lamps to keep food warm.
Ms. Pringle said that Australia is a lucrative market for long-term growth and that Wendy’s could offer incentives such as co-investment to entice Australian franchisees.
The company is actively seeking to put money on its balance sheet to find land, design, build, and hand the keys over to the franchisees. There is no set opening date or location for the first restaurant, but Wendy’s is keen to get the ball rolling as the Australian fast food market is expected to expand by 32% to $8.7 billion over the next five years, according to Euromonitor data.
Ms. Pringle said Wendy’s is looking at a master franchisee model in Australia, meaning a partner company that would handle most of the Australian business.
The company will also partner with local producers and farmers to serve up quality Australian ingredients. Established examples of the master franchisee model include Collins Foods, which operates KFC and Taco Bell, and Restaurant Brands, which runs Pizza Hut and Carl’s Jr.
Wendy’s recently expanded to the UK and Ireland and can be found across Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. Its menu offers chicken sandwiches, nuggets, vegetarian options, breakfast sandwiches, salads, along with an interesting range of sides, including chili con carne and stuffed potatoes.
This move by Wendy’s follows after Five Guys and Carl’s Jr expanded to Australia. Five Guys, a family-run burgers and fries joint that started in America in 1986, recently opened its second Australian store in the heart of the Sydney CBD. Carl’s Jr launched in Australia in 2016 and plans to open 200 restaurants across Australia by 2030.
»Popular American burger giant Wendy’s to set up hundreds of restaurants in Australian«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯