Wendy's to open UK delivery kitchens in global expansion drive

US fast food chain Wendy's is ramping up its UK expansion with plans to open delivery kitchens across the country.

The burger brand, which launched its first UK restaurant in almost 20 years this summer, is aiming to roll-out 700 delivery sites across the USA, Canada and UK over the next five years.

It has partnered with Reef, which operates ‘dark kitchens' worldwide, following the successful trial of eight locations in Canada last year.

Around 50 delivery sites are expected to open in 2021 with the remainder launching in 2022-25. The deal makes Reef Wendy's first franchisee in the UK.

"This partnership with Reef is testimony to our ambitions, the potential we see to grow our beloved brand and our quest to reach more customers in more ways," said Abigail Pringle, Wendy's chief development officer.

Wendy's was founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1969 and operates more than 6,800 restaurants worldwide. It ran around 10 company-operated UK restaurants in the 1990s, but shut them down after complaining of high operating costs.

The chain returned to launch a restaurant in Reading in June and openings in locations such as Stratford, Oxford and Croydon are expected later this year. The group is planning to open "hundreds" of restaurants in the UK over the next two years.

Wendy's chief executive Todd Penegor said the company was "very encouraged by the early results and excitement we've seen so far" in the UK.

In an update this week, the company forecast global systemwide sales growth of 11% to 13% in 2021.

It also increased its global restaurant target from 8,500 to 9,000, which it said was driven by the Reef partnership.