Wendy’s to reopen its doors under new management

Quick Service Holdings, the parent company to international franchises, Pita Pit and Domino’s Pizza, as well as the owner of Food Hall, the first grocerant in Trinidad and Tobago, has acquired the local Wendy’s franchise.

In a statement on Friday, the company said Wendy’s will officially reopen its doors on August 26, at Peake’s One Stop in Tacarigua.

Commenting on the acquisition, Quick Service Holdings CEO Daniel Fakoory said: “We had our eyes on this brand for a while, because despite its current circumstance, the Wendy’s brand has huge potential in this market as we have seen previously, and when Wendy’s International reached out to us, we knew this was the moment to make it happen.”

Fakoory explained that the franchise’s decline over the past six years, was not a brand problem, as with their acquisition of the Domino’s franchise back in 2017, but more so an operations problem.

He said: “They saw what we did with Domino’s, which had been mismanaged by the previous franchise holders, how we created a franchise that is now thriving despite being a part of an industry that has experienced many setbacks over the last two years. As a company, we felt that this was a great opportunity to add to our portfolio of brands, as it fits a significant category on the QSR landscape which we previously did not have a presence in, which is the Burger/Sandwich and Drive Thru category. We have Pita Pit which is our healthy eating franchise, Domino’s which is the International leader in the pizza and delivery category and now with Wendy’s we plan to have a strong presence in the Burger/Sandwich and Drive Thru category.”

Internationally, the Wendy’s chain is known for its square hamburgers, sea salt fries, and the Frosty – a form of soft serve ice cream.

The brand promises to offer higher quality, fresh off the grill, prepared when you order it.

Their slogan; At Wendy’s, we don’t cut corners.

“Customers can expect this same quality when they visit. We’re not cutting any corners and have already partnered with our suppliers to ensure we have all of Wendy’s approved products available at all times.” Fakoory added.

The local Wendy’s franchise previously had eight locations.

However, only the Tacarigua location will be operational.

Fakoory explained: “We were hoping to acquire more than just one of the locations, however, in hindsight it worked out for the best as the new stores we will be developing would be in a brand new and exciting format which is built for operational efficiency and speed of service.”

He added that plans are in place to open six new stores over the next two years across the country, including Diego Martin, Port of Spain, Brentwood, Arima, Piarco and San Fernando.

These locations, he said, will all be drive thru format, focusing on delivering speed and efficiency as part of the new Wendy’s model.

“Upon the re-opening of the Tacarigua store, we can assure you that all the Wendy’s items you know and love will be available. We’ve previously demonstrated with Domino’s, that we can take over a struggling franchise with a high level of value and quality and bring it to its full potential in our market. And I am confident that with a new, revitalised management team and a strategic plan, we will be able to make Wendy’s the region’s number one hamburger brand,” Fakoory.