London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jun 03, 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
Japanese Technology Firm Fujitsu Launches Advanced Artificial Intelligence Tool for Corporate Disclosures
South Africa Officially Launches Nationwide Campaign for Highly Contested Local Government Elections
United Kingdom Commits Additional Funding for Unexploded Ordnance Clearance in Laos
Singapore Announces Stringent New Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Commercial Cooling Systems
Cambodia and Thailand Hold High-Level Border Security Talks at United Nations Headquarters
Myanmar Military Government and China Sign Major Agreement to Upgrade Media and Cultural Cooperation
Knife Attack at Swiss Train Station Leaves Three Injured in Suspected Act of Domestic Terrorism
Transnational Extortion Gang Threatens Canadian Police With Army of One Thousand Armed Operatives
Australia Imposes Forty-Two-Day Quarantine on Cruise Ship Passengers Following Deadly Hantavirus Outbreak
International Monetary Fund Unlocks Seven Hundred Million United States Dollars for Sri Lanka Following Economic Reforms
Australia Launches Record One Point Four Billion Dollar Lawsuit Against Chemical Giant 3M Over Contamination
China and Canada Foreign Ministers Meet in Ottawa in Effort to Stabilize Strained Diplomatic Ties
Indonesia Demands Urgent United Nations Security Council Reform Amid Escalating Global Conflicts
Extreme Weather Patterns Trigger Severe Drought in Madagascar and Destructive Flooding in East Africa
Indian State of Karnataka Faces Political Upheaval as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Abruptly Resigns
Philippines and Japan Reaffirm Defense Ties as Crucial for Indo-Pacific Regional Stability
Norway Joins French Nuclear Deterrence Initiative in Major Shift for European Security Architecture
Global Critical Mineral Alliances Expand as Western Nations Move to Counter Chinese Supply Dominance
United States Imposes Fifty Percent Tariffs on Mexican Steel and Aluminum Ahead of Trade Pact Review
European Union and China Head Toward Major Trade Conflict Over Clean Technology Exports
United States Economic Growth Severely Downgraded to One Point Six Percent as Stagflation Fears Mount
World Health Organization Warns Central African Ebola Epidemic is Outpacing Containment Efforts
United States Treasury Department Conditions Sanctions Relief on Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Air Defenses Intercept and Destroy United States Military Drone Over Bushehr Province
Iranian Armed Forces Launch Ballistic Missiles Toward Unspecified Targets Prompting Regional Condemnation
United Nations Secretary-General Warns Global Order Facing Highest Level of Conflict Since 1945
Israel Issues Sweeping Evacuation Orders in Southern Lebanon Amid Intensified Hezbollah Conflict
Russia Announces Systemic Military Strikes Targeting Ukrainian Defense and Energy Infrastructure
United States and Iranian Negotiators Reach Draft Agreement to Extend Ceasefire and Resume Nuclear Talks
United Nations Security Council Deeply Divided Over United States Capture of Venezuelan President
US and Iran Exchange Direct Military Strikes Amid Fragile Gulf Ceasefire
World Health Organization Warns of Catastrophic Ebola Outbreak in DR Congo
Russia Threatens New Wave of Strikes on Ukrainian Infrastructure and Embassies
Scientists Warn Atlantic Ocean Currents Could Collapse Faster Than Projected
Anthropic Reaches $900 Billion Valuation in Historic AI Funding Round
Washington Imposes Crippling Sanctions on Iranian Maritime Authority
Japan and the Philippines Initiate Strategic Intelligence-Sharing Pact
Microsoft Deploys Autonomous Computer-Using AI Agents to Global Markets
Anthropic Secures $45 Billion Compute Infrastructure Agreement With SpaceX
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Resigns Amid Administration Shakeup
Micron Technology Crosses Trillion-Dollar Valuation Amid Unprecedented Hardware Demand
Canada and Germany Finalize Historic Long-Term LNG Export Agreement
China Expands International Travel Restrictions on Domestic AI Researchers
Japan Approves Sweeping Overhaul of National Intelligence Apparatus
Global Airlines Scramble Logistics as Middle East Airspace Remains Fractured
Japan's Naphtha Imports Plunge 47 Percent Amid Strait of Hormuz Closure
Global Crude Prices Retreat Below $96 as Gulf Tensions Momentarily Ease
Generative AI Outperforms Human Baselines in Landmark Global Creativity Study
NASA Partners With Private Aerospace to Unveil Permanent Lunar Base Architecture
South Korean Equity Markets Surge on Next-Generation Memory Chip Frenzy
×