Consumers can’t find much to like about Wendy’s

Last week, I wrote about why the bankruptcy of Domino’s franchisee Mile High Pizza Company didn’t worry me — consumers love the brand too much for it to become a widespread problem.

The same day I filed that column, Wendy’s franchisee Meritage Hospitality filed for bankruptcy, and my reaction was pretty much the opposite.

Not only does Meritage own 314 Wendy’s to Mile High’s 13 Domino’s, but my gut instinct was that consumers are not quite as fond of the burger brand as they are of the pizza company.

But even I was blown away by what I found when I checked my gut against Technomic’s consumer data. The C-suite is undergoing an overhaul, and today, even more than before, I am convinced that new CEO Bob Wright has his work cut out for him and then some.

Wendy’s, of course, is the sixth largest restaurant chain in the U.S. by sales, and the second largest QSR burger chain to behemoth McDonald’s. For now, at least; Burger King is making moves to catch up.

But big does not equal beloved. Compared to its QSR burger peers (the biggest of which also include Sonic, Culver’s, Whataburger, and Jack in the Box), Wendy’s overall consumer rating is nearly 10 percentage points lower than the average. The top three are cult favorites In-N-Out, Culver’s, and, Whataburger. Wendy’s ranks 14th, just behind Checkers and ahead of McDonald’s.

In fact, Wendy’s only outperforms competitors on two metrics, a stat I have never seen before. Those are Video/TV entertainment (I have more questions now) and affordability.

Like I said — shockingly grim. Personally, I’m a fan of Wendy’s chicken nugget options (spicy, saucy), and of course the classic Frosty. But even those once-iconic menu items don’t warrant a mention from consumers. In fact, food quality and food taste and flavor are 6.9 and 7.3 percentage points below the competitive average, respectively.

Wendy’s weakest points, however, are kitchen/food prep area, food visual appeal, and interior cleanliness. (There’s also quality of the coffee, but does Wendy’s serve coffee?) (I just checked. They do. The more you know!)

Wendy’s saw a tiny amount of unit growth in 2025 (0.6%), but I fear with the Meritage bankruptcy, the system may shrink this year, and in fact stores were already closing in the second quarter of 2026.

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservice Media, encompassing Restaurant Business, Nation's Restaurant News, and Foodservice Director.