Wendy's CEO Bob Wright says the Dublin-based burger chain has sacrificed quality in pursuit of cost savings – a mistake he hopes to reverse as the company works to regain its footing.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Wright said Wendy's has struggled with "inconsistent operations" and the erosion of its "value equation," both of which have contributed to the company losing its position as the nation's second-largest burger chain by U.S. sales to Burger King. In response, Wendy's is rolling out a five-point strategy focused on food quality and value, operations, store upgrades, marketing and digital sales.
"We have made some decisions around quality that were rooted in efficiency and cost savings," Wright told the Journal. "We have let
our value equation erode. While we have good systems and good execution, there’s an opportunity to really bring that back."
The company is also reshuffling its leadership team. Wright said Wendy's U.S. marketing chief will soon be departing and replaced by former McDonald's executive Tariq Hassan, who will serve in the newly created role of chief marketing and customer growth officer.
These comments come as Wendy's looks to reverse declining sales. The company's same-restaurant sales dropped 5.5% in 2025, and its stock fell 48.3% for the year.
The Dispatch reported in April that Wendy's had closed one of its locations on Columbus' Northwest Side as part of a U.S. turnaround plan announced in late 2025 by interim CEO Ken Cook. "Project Fresh" planned to close, improve or change operators of up to 360 locations in an effort to improve the company's U.S. performance.
When asked about opening and closing locations, Wright told the Journal that the company has shuttered more stores than it's opened over the last year. He added that there will likely be more closures, but they'll be used "as a tool where a franchisee needs a little bit of help creating some health in their portfolio of their restaurants."
Wright, who became CEO in May after previously leading Potbelly and serving in other Wendy's leadership roles, is also navigating relations with activist investor Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management. The investment firm is a longtime Wendy's shareholder with board representation whose members have discussed strategic alternatives for the company, like the possibility of taking Wendy's private.
"I’ve had discussions with everybody on our board. I’m proud that we have a great deal of strategic alignment," Wright told the Journal. "This is an open dialogue around diagnosing the situation we are in and what it will take to move forward. I won’t comment on conversations with individual board members, but I’m happy to report that alignment exists."
Looking ahead, Wright said Wendy's needs to rebuild its menu while keeping the focus on its core categories – hamburgers, chicken, salads and desserts led by the Frosty.
"We had become over-reliant on promotional activity and everyday-value strategies," Wright said. "Our barbell strategy had gotten uneven. You’re going to hear us focus on the core menu first, because that’s where you deliver intrinsic value for the customer."
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Wendy's CEO admits cost cuts came at expense of food quality, WSJ reports
