Technology

Meritage Hospitality Group expands Upside partnership to 367 Wendy’s locations

Photo: iSky Media - stock.adobe.com

February 4, 2026

Summarize with

Meritage Hospitality Group is expanding its partnership with the digital marketplace Upside to include 367 Wendy's locations across the United States. The decision follows a pilot program that tested the platform's impact on customer traffic and profit margins, according to a press release.

The national rollout includes several major markets, such as Atlanta, Memphis, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Grand Rapids and Hartford. According to the company, the platform is designed to target new diners and increase visit frequency among existing customers. Upside claims that over 50% of its transactions come from new-to-site users.

The expansion was driven by data collected during the trial phase regarding customer attribution.

"Upside was able to clearly prove what was incremental and directly attributable to the program," Peter Brandenburg, senior financial analyst at Meritage Hospitality Group, said in the press release. "That level of measurement and our ability to validate using our own data supported our decision to expand the partnership across hundreds of locations."

"We're proud of what the pilot delivered and excited to build on it. Upside is built to scale efficiently across large restaurant footprints, allowing us to drive even greater impact as partnerships expand," Ryan Gaylor, VP of retailer and channel partnerships at Upside, said in the press release.

Upside is a digital marketplace that connects millions of consumers with brick-and-mortar retailers nationwide.

Meritage Hospitality Group is one of the nation's premier restaurant operators, currently with 365 restaurants in operation located in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.