Franchising

Central Asia will have 65 Wendy's stores by 2030

Wendy's will be spreading its smiling face across Georgia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in Central Asia in the coming months and years. (Photo: iStock)

June 24, 2021

Columbus, Ohio-based Wendy's has signed development agreements to expand its Central Asia presence to 65 units by 2030. The owners of Kusto Group and Global Investors Limited (known as the Wissol Group) will open stores in The Republic of Georgia, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, according to a company press release.

To initiate the plans, Kusto Group and Wissol Group opened the first two restaurants in Kazakhstan — located in Almaty — earlier this year, along with a drive-thru-only restaurant in May at a Wissol gas station in the Gelovani district of Tbilisi, Georgia.

"Customers should expect high-quality, fresh products and ingredients from Wendy's," Kusto Group Board Chair Yerkin Tatishev said in the release. "It is very important to our organization that menu items are prepared and sourced locally, working with farmers and suppliers in both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to deliver on Wendy's elevated menu standards."

Wissol Group opened its first Wendy's in Georgia seven years ago.

Wendy's has more than 6,700 restaurants worldwide.