London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jan 14, 2026

Wendy's stock jumps on long-term sales outlook and plans for breakfast, European expansion

Wendy's on Friday shared more detail about its plan to launch breakfast nationwide at its investor day.

Wendy’s executives shared more detail about its 2020 nationwide breakfast launch at the company’s investor day Friday.


The company anticipates that breakfast sales grow to at least 10% of its total daily sales.


The burger chain is also exploring meat alternatives and is testing a black bean burger.


Wendy’s will return to the United Kingdom in the next 12 to 18 months.

Wendy’s on Friday shared more detail about its plan to launch breakfast nationwide, add new products and expand in Europe at its investor day.

It also teased its unreleased third-quarter financial results. Wendy’s CEO Todd Penegor reported North American same-store sales growth of 4.4%, helped by the return of its spicy nuggets. The company is scheduled to report its earnings Nov. 6.

Between 2021 to 2024, Wendy’s expects annual global system-wide sales in range of 4% to 5%.

Shares of the company, which has a market value of $4.6 billion, jumped 6.4% in morning trading.

The burger chain announced its breakfast plans in September. Wendy’s plans to invest about $20 million to support its U.S. stores in preparation for the early 2020 launch. The company also cut its forecast for fiscal 2019 adjusted earnings at that time, expecting a decline in a range of 3.5% to 6.5%.

Wendy’s anticipates that breakfast sales will grow to at least 10% of its total daily sales.

The company has attempted to enter breakfast three times previously, and analysts have expressed skepticism that this time around will be different.

“We really are building this program in a different way,” Wendy’s U.S. President Kurt Kane told investors.

Kane said that the company worked with franchisees to create the breakfast program.

“They really pushed us hard to make sure that we had something that could work for our entire system,” he said.

Thanks to the company’s investments in the program, executives expect that breakfast will be immediately profitable for franchisees.

Menu items will include the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, Breakfast Baconator and the Frosty-ccino, but the chain is planning on limiting the number of breakfast items, compared to past launches. Wendy’s also created a new custom blend of coffee.

This time around will not include any equipment expenses, which previously could cost franchisees up to $10,000.

Wendy’s past breakfast attempts started regionally, which meant that advertising was locally based. The company is planning on using national media for its 2020 launch.

With the exception of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Arby’s and Yum Brands’ KFC, Wendy’s competitors have all been in breakfast for years. Kane said that the company will be able to go head-to-head against Chick-fil-A with its chicken biscuit.

“We do anticipate significant competitive response,” Kane said.

Breakfast is not the only menu addition that Wendy’s has been exploring. Kane said that the chain is currently testing black bean burgers, which could be launched next year if it goes well.

Kane said the company is also exploring other meat alternatives. Restaurant Brands International’s Burger King has launched its plant-based Impossible Whopper nationwide, while McDonald’s is testing its own version made with Beyond Meat.


Global expansion plans


Between 2020 and 2024, Wendy’s plans to grow its global restaurant store count by 3% annually — double 2019′s expected growth rate. Some of that growth will come from Wendy’s expansion into Europe in the next 12 to 18 months. The burger chain has tried to enter European markets over the years.

By 2024, Wendy’s wants more than 1,500 international stores. It currently has roughly 950 international locations.

To launch in Europe, Wendy’s plans to reenter the United Kingdom, making the country its first European market. The company said that it’s done extensive research and talked with more than 3,000 British consumers.

“And yes, we’ve thought about Brexit,” Abigail Pringle, Wendy’s head of U.S. development and international president, told investors.

Chick-fil-A recently opened its first location in the U.K.

The next phase will be launching in European markets with a high potential of success, and Wendy’s is in discussions with potential franchisees.

In Wendy’s domestic market, the burger chain is looking to major U.S. cities and locations near military bases and college campuses. Part of its U.S. store growth will come from nontraditional locations, including dark kitchens, which are also known as ghost or virtual kitchens. Ghost kitchens are smaller format stores that are only meant to cook food for delivery orders.

Pringle said that the burger chain will have two dark kitchens open in high delivery markets by the end of the year.


Digital strategy


Out of Wendy’s total U.S. sales, 2% come from digital channels. It wants to expand its digital orders to 10% of total U.S. sales by 2024.

The burger chain has partnered with DoorDash for delivery and announced additional partnerships with UberEats and GrubHub Friday. Wendy’s reported 50% to 60% higher check prices on delivery orders.

Laura Titas, Wendy’s chief digital experience officer, said that the company will also launch in-app delivery, giving the company access to customer data and driving more people to its app. Mobile ordering leads to 20% higher check sizes for Wendy’s.

Titas also said Wendy’s will launch a loyalty program in 2020 to drive more frequent visits to its locations.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Intensifies Arctic Security Engagement as Trump’s Greenland Rhetoric Fuels Allied Concern
Meghan Markle Could Return to the UK for the First Time in Nearly Four Years If Security Is Secured
Meghan Markle Likely to Return to UK Only if Harry Secures Official Security Cover
UAE Restricts Funding for Emiratis to Study in UK Amid Fears Over Muslim Brotherhood Influence
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks to Safeguard Long-Term Agreement Stability
Starmer’s Push to Rally Support for Action Against Elon Musk’s X Faces Setback as Canada Shuns Ban
UK Free School Meals Expansion Faces Political and Budgetary Delays
EU Seeks ‘Farage Clause’ in Brexit Reset Talks With Britain
Germany Hit by Major Airport Strikes Disrupting European Travel
Prince Harry Seeks King Charles’ Support to Open Invictus Games on UK Return
Washington Holds Back as Britain and France Signal Willingness to Deploy Troops in Postwar Ukraine
Elon Musk Accuses UK Government of Suppressing Free Speech as X Faces Potential Ban Over AI-Generated Content
Russia Deploys Hypersonic Missile in Strike on Ukraine
OpenAI and SoftBank Commit One Billion Dollars to Energy and Data Centre Supplier
UK Prime Minister Starmer Reaffirms Support for Danish Sovereignty Over Greenland Amid U.S. Pressure
UK Support Bolsters U.S. Seizure of Russian-Flagged Tanker Marinera in Atlantic Strike on Sanctions Evasion
The Claim That Maduro’s Capture and Trial Violate International Law Is Either Legally Illiterate—or Deliberately Deceptive
UK Data Watchdog Probes Elon Musk’s X Over AI-Generated Grok Images Amid Surge in Non-Consensual Outputs
Prince Harry to Return to UK for Court Hearing Without Plans to Meet King Charles III
UK Confirms Support for US Seizure of Russian-Flagged Oil Tanker in North Atlantic
Béla Tarr, Visionary Hungarian Filmmaker, Dies at Seventy After Long Illness
UK and France Pledge Military Hubs Across Ukraine in Post-Ceasefire Security Plan
Prince Harry Poised to Regain UK Security Cover, Clearing Way for Family Visits
UK Junk Food Advertising Ban Faces Major Loophole Allowing Brand-Only Promotions
Maduro’s Arrest Without The Hague Tests International Law—and Trump’s Willingness to Break It
German Intelligence Secretly Intercepted Obama’s Air Force One Communications
The U.S. State Department’s account in Persian: “President Trump is a man of action. If you didn’t know it until now, now you do—do not play games with President Trump.”
Fake Mainstream Media Double Standard: Elon Musk Versus Mamdani
HSBC Leads 2026 Mortgage Rate Cuts as UK Lending Costs Ease
US Joint Chiefs Chairman Outlines How Operation Absolute Resolve Was Carried Out in Venezuela
Starmer Welcomes End of Maduro Era While Stressing International Law and UK Non-Involvement
Korean Beauty Turns Viral Skincare Into a Global Export Engine
UK Confirms Non-Involvement in U.S. Military Action Against Venezuela
UK Terror Watchdog Calls for Australian-Style Social Media Ban to Protect Teenagers
Iranian Protests Intensify as Another Revolutionary Guard Member Is Killed and Khamenei Blames the West
Delta Force Identified as Unit Behind U.S. Operation That Captured Venezuela’s President
Europe’s Luxury Sanctions Punish Russian Consumers While a Sanctions-Circumvention Industry Thrives
Berkshire’s Buffett-to-Abel Transition Tests Whether a One-Man Trust Model Can Survive as a System
Fraud in European Central Bank: Lagarde’s Hidden Pay Premium Exposes a Transparency Crisis at the European Central Bank
Trump Announces U.S. Large-Scale Strike on Venezuela, Declares President Maduro and Wife Captured
Tesla Loses EV Crown to China’s BYD After Annual Deliveries Decline in 2025
UK Manufacturing Growth Reaches 15-Month Peak as Output and Orders Improve in December
Beijing Threatened to Scrap UK–China Trade Talks After British Minister’s Taiwan Visit
Newly Released Files Reveal Tony Blair Pressured Officials Over Iraq Death Case Involving UK Soldiers
Top Stocks and Themes to Watch in 2026 as Markets Enter New Year with Fresh Momentum
No UK Curfew Ordered as Deepfake TikTok Falsely Attributes Decree to Prime Minister Starmer
Europe’s Largest Defence Groups Set to Return Nearly Five Billion Dollars to Shareholders in Twenty Twenty-Five
Abu Dhabi ‘Capital of Capital’: How Abu Dhabi Rose as a Sovereign Wealth Power
Diamonds Are Powering a New Quantum Revolution
Trump Threatens Strikes Against Iran if Nuclear Programme Is Restarted
×