Four Atlanta area Wendy's restaurants have closed in recent days after one of its largest franchisees filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The first closed permanently October 9, followed by three more as of October 16. Amazingly, two of the restaurants that closed were either rebuilt from scratch or heavily renovated less than ten years ago.
The filing comes after the company shuttered sixty "underperforming" units earlier this year as the Wendy's brand dealt with weak sales, and higher beef costs.
The Georgia restaurants were officially owned by Wen Georgia, LLC, a subsidiary of the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based franchisee. According to the Meritage website, the company operates forty-eight restaurants across Georgia and more than 300 cumulatively across a total of fifteen states.
Quality Is Our Recipe, a subsidiary of Wendy's, terminated Meritage's franchise agreement on September 16, alleging among other things, that the franchisee failed to pay various fees and expenses totaling $27M and a public spat between the two has devolved in the weeks since.
The company on October 9 closed the Wendy's at 2668 Windy Hill Road in Marietta. The Windy Hill restaurant was closed due to reported underperformance but was located just off I-75, near a large Wellstar campus and close to Truist Park. Perhaps most surprisingly, the freestanding restaurant was one of the newest in metro Atlanta having been completely demolished and rebuilt, featuring the brand's current modern look, in 2018.
October 16 brought the closure of three more metro Atlanta Wendy's including:
165 Scenic Highway in Lawrenceville
4234 Highway 29 in Lilburn
8455 Roswell Road in Sandy Springs
The Lawrenceville restaurant opened in 2014 and featured the brand's early 2000s look and its current logo, which was introduced systemwide in 2013.
The Lilburn Wendy's first opened in 1983 but received the brand's "image activation" renovation in more recent years. Gwinnett County property records indicate that Wen Georgia sold the 1,826 square foot restaurant and its .53 acres for $1.9 million in August 2025, after purchasing it for $1.2 million in May 2025.
The Sandy Springs restaurant was heavily damaged in a fire in January 2014 and sat idle for more than three years before reopening in 2017.
Each of the shuttered Atlanta restaurants had Google reviews of 3.5 stars or less.
The four metro Atlanta closures were among more than thirty units the company has closed in recent weeks with more closures expected. A location along North Druid Hills near Toco Hills closed temporarily last week but reopened October 16 as planned.
Meritage and other franchisees of the brand have in recent years closed more than a half dozen other units around the greater metro Atlanta area including those on Johnson Ferry Road in East Cobb this past February. (Raising Cane's is looking to open in the former East Cobb location.) Wendy's restaurants on South Hairston Road in Stone Mountain, Hugh Howell Road in Tucker and Buford Highway in Buford closed last fall.
A Wendy's on Buford Highway in Brookhaven closed in May 2024 while another on Peachtree Road in Chamblee closed in January 2025.
Locations in Acworth, Conley and Kennesaw closed at the end of 2024.
Why do you think Wendy's has struggled to maintain its relevance and positioning lately? What is your favorite fast food burger chain? Do you think Wendy's can correct their issues and return its restaurants to growth?
Please share your thoughts below
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