Operations

Wendy’s reports comp declines; remains focused on turnaround

Photo: Wendy's

August 7, 2026 by Valerie Gritton

Summarize with

Wendy's reported its Q2 earnings, showing a U.S. comparable same-store sales decline of 7% while international comps decreased 2.3%. Overall, global same-store sales fell 6.3% for the quarter, according to a company news release.

Wendy's performance was largely weighed down by declining U.S. traffic, which pressured franchise royalty revenue, restaurant margins, operating profit and earnings. While revenue increased modestly, the gains were offset by weaker franchise revenue and rental income.

New CEO Bob Wright, who took his position in May, said that the company's turnaround strategy is focused on five main components.

"We have already begun taking action across five areas that we've identified to drive the turnaround: rebuilding a quality menu at compelling value, marketing that drives demand, operational excellence, a digital experience that builds frequency, and restaurants as an engine for growth," he said in the company's Q2 earnings press release.

Wendy's revenue increased slightly to $570.6 million, up 1.7% year over year, while global systemwide sales fell 6.5% to approximately $3.4 billion, driven by an 8.2% decline in U.S. sales. Meanwhile, international systemwide sales grew 3.4%. Net income for the chain fell 40.8% to $32.6 million.

Wendy's ended the quarter with 7,180 restaurants worldwide, down from 7,334 when compared to the same period last year, reflecting a net loss of 71 restaurants during the quarter.

"Wendy's is an iconic brand with exceptional assets. Today we are clearly not performing at our potential," Wright added. "I returned to Wendy's because I believe we can fix our issues and I am excited to work with our team and our franchisees to drive a strong turnaround. We are updating our capital allocation to provide flexibility to support our turnaround across these actions and fund our plan for growth. Wendy's quality heritage provides a strong foundation for the turnaround and I am confident we can translate that equity into a proposition that's relevant to today's fast-evolving QSR landscape."