Wendy’s Expands Internationally With Its First Location in Australia. Here Are the Details

Wendy’s is becoming an international force to be reckoned with. The popular fast-food chain is now expanding into the Land Down Under, with its first location in Australia kicking off an expansion that will continue into 2034. Here are the details about this latest announcement.

Wendy’s Opened Its First Location in Australia on Jan. 15

According to 7 News, Wendy’s opened its first location on the Gold Coast of Australia on Jan. 15 of this year in Queensland. Serving its famous square-shaped hamburgers, Frosty treats, chicken burgers, and loaded fries, it is the first of 200 restaurants that are anticipated to operate in Australia by 2034. Surfer’s Paradise now offers a flavor of the United States.

The flagship location, located in Paradise Centre at 2 Cavill Ave., is the first to offer menu items exclusive to the Australian market, such as innovative double hand-breaded chicken tenders and a proprietary dipping sauce.

“Move over kings, colonels and clowns, there’s a new burger queen in Queensland,” Wendy’s said in a statement announcing its arrival into the Australian market.

The company stated that many menu variants were tested using input from a local audience and that the beef and chicken supplied at Australian Wendy’s will be 100% Australian-sourced. The Flynn Group, a significant franchisee for other well-known American brands like Applebee’s, Taco Bell, and Panera, started purchasing more than 190 Wendy’s franchises in the U.S. in 2021.

“We’re proud to bring a fresh approach to the Australian food scene. The Wendy’s brand was built on doing things differently, from square hamburgers to being one of the most talked about brands on social media,” Flynn Group Chief Transformation Officer Lauren Leahy said in a statement to the outlet. “We’ve put our guests in the centre of every detail from a vibrant new restaurant design with a laser focus on delivering the best chicken and hamburger experience.”

Closing US Locations, However

Despite its expansion into the Australian market, the fast-food chain recently closed 140 underperforming locations in the United States.

Wendy’s is not an exception to the restaurant industry’s unparalleled decline. According to USA Today, Gunther Plosch, the CFO of the fast-food chain, stated during an earnings call toward the end of 2024 that the firm intended to close 140 “outdated” outlets and replace them with more lucrative ones.

“After our strategic review, we now expect a similar number of closures as openings, so we expect net unit growth in 2024 to be roughly flat,” a spokesperson told the outlet.

According to USA Today, Wendy’s officials stated that the stores would be “spread out geographically both in the U.S. and globally,” but they did not specify which specific sites would be closed.

In its yearly financial presentation, the fast-food giant also unveiled a new development incentive system for the United States, Canada, and Latin America. Despite declining sales, the restaurant stated that it intended to open 250–300 new sites globally in 2024. The company’s commitment to expansion is demonstrated by its 2025 aim, which stipulates that any planned new construction must be linked to specific development pledges.

The massive fast-food chain also disclosed last November that it would utilize more AI to provide better customer service.

After years of high inflation, rising labor and ingredient prices are posing problems for the restaurant business. In this sector, AI is starting to gain popularity. This has forced an already profit-constrained company to examine cost control more closely.

“Three or four years from now, if you’re not doing this, you’ll be at a distinct disadvantage,” said Pete Suerken, who leads Wendy’s supply chain co-op. “This is something that, as an industry, will change the way we work.”