Wendy’s is on a closing spree, with hundreds of locations on the chopping block. Many have already closed, and it seems like even more closures are coming as customers pull back on fast-food meals due to rising menu prices and the soaring cost of living.
Why Wendy’s Is Closing Restaurants
Thanks to cratering sales, Wendy’s has made at least two announcements in the last year that they will be closing locations. Back in November, the company said that around 300 stores would be closing because sales were down by 4.7%.
Then in February of this year, the company reiterated that plan after new sales reports came in showing a huge 11.3% decline in sales in the fourth quarter of 2025. That’s a steep drop, but we’re not really surprised considering Wendy’s has steadily axed its best deals and coupons in recent years.
The latest sales reports for the company recently came out, and while they were still bad, the numbers weren’t as bad as experts predicted, according to Fast Company. That’s probably because 174 Wendy’s locations have closed in the U.S. since late last year, and they were likely the restaurants with the worst sales.
States Where Wendy’s Has Closed the Most Locations
Unfortunately, Wendy’s doesn’t share lists of which locations have closed or are on the chopping block, so reports of stores closing are all done the old fashioned way with investigative reporting.
Fast Company has used Wendy’s online store locator to track how many restaurants have closed since the chain has been on the decline. According to their records, there are now roughly 200 fewer locations listed than at the end of September 2025. It’s a pretty smart way to gather that kind of information when Wendy’s won’t release it.
The outlet has also used the same data to determine which states have had the largest number of Wendy’s closures so far. These are the states with the “biggest net declines in restaurants since the fourth quarter of last year.”
- Florida: 475 locations (net loss of 24)
- Texas: 431 locations (net loss of 23)
- Illinois: 175 locations (net loss of 18)
- Arizona: 90 locations (net loss of 15)
- Colorado: 115 locations (net loss of 10)
- Ohio: 388 locations (net loss of 10)
- New Mexico: 33 locations (net loss of 8)
If you’re wondering whether any Wendy’s locations near you have closed — or may be soon — your best bet is to pay attention to local news outlets. Usually, it’s reporting by those news stations and publications that break the news of store and restaurant closings.
