The hamburger restaurant chain sector has an enormous impediment to clear this 12 months, competing in opposition to the nation’s hottest fast-food idea: fried rooster chains.
Fried rooster eating chains, together with Elevating Cain’s Rooster Fingers and Chick-fil-A, started 2026 as the most well-liked subsector of the fast-food trade, and can lead the sector if the idea continues the pattern it set over the past 12 months.
Fried rooster restaurant site visitors rises
Visitors to fried rooster ideas rose 3% within the 12 months ending September 2025, whereas all ideas dropped 1% in comparison with the earlier 12 months, in keeping with market analysis agency Circana, as reported by Quick Firm.
The number of rooster choices supplied, resembling rooster items, rooster fingers, or rooster sandwiches, and the way customers get pleasure from their selections, might contribute to the continued recognition of the idea, an knowledgeable says.
“This is due to the experiences the brands are creating as well as the variety of chicken and how you can enjoy it,” trade knowledgeable Reilly Newman of Motif Manufacturers informed The Meals Institute. “This involves no shock, because the expertise economic system has been taking root throughout the globe.
Wendy’s rolls out new objects
Wendy’s rolled out its new rooster tenders with a brand new sauce lineup to feed the recognition fast-food rooster, and stated it’s going to launch a brand new rooster tenders ranch wrap throughout Presidents Day week, in keeping with the corporate’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings name.
The fast-food chain has different plans to strengthen its efficiency, along with its new merchandise.
Wendy’s plans to shut as much as 350 restaurant places in 2026.
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Wendy’s closing as much as 6% of US places
Wendy’s stated it plans to shut 5%-6% of its 5,831 U.S. restaurant places listed on its web site, or about 292 to 350 underperforming items, in 2026, in keeping with its fourth quarter earnings name reported by The Motley Idiot.
The fast-food chain stated within the Feb. 13 name that it had already closed 28 eating places as a part of its system optimization program underneath its Challenge Recent turnaround plan to scale back the variety of underperforming items to enhance profitability and franchisee economics. The remaining shops can be closed all through 2026, the corporate stated.
Is your Wendy’s closing?
- Wendy’s has not launched an inventory of restaurant location closings.
“By closing consistently underperforming restaurants, we are enabling our franchisee partners to increase focus on locations with the greatest potential for profitable growth,” Wendy’s CEO Ken Cook dinner stated within the earnings name.
“We’re executing Project Fresh with urgency to strengthen our foundation and position Wendy’s for long-term success,” Cook dinner stated in a Feb. 13 assertion.
US identical restaurant gross sales decline
The large fast-food hamburger chain reported an 8.3% decline in international system broad gross sales on a continuing forex foundation and an 11.3% decline in U.S. identical restaurant gross sales within the fourth quarter ending Dec. 28, 2025.
The restaurant chain, nonetheless, reported a 6.2% improve in worldwide system broad gross sales.
Extra closings:
- Bankrupt restaurant chains completely shut fashionable places
- Main retail chain closes 35 shops nationwide, no chapter
- One other main retail chain closes warehouse operations
McDonald’s seemed to generate extra income at its eating places after recognizing the fried rooster benefit final 12 months and answered the decision with its McCrispy sandwich and relaunch of Snack Wraps, as Nation’s Restaurant Information reported.
The restaurant chain is presently testing new menu objects at some eating places within the Chicago space, McDonald’s Chief Restaurant Expertise Officer Jill McDonald informed NRN, together with DeLuxe Grilled Rooster Sandwich, BBQ Bacon Grilled Rooster Sandwich, bone-in wings, and a brand new McCrispy tender.
McDonald’s testing menu objects:
- DeLuxe Grilled Rooster Sandwich
- BBQ Bacon Grilled Rooster Sandwich
- Bone-in wings
- McCrispy Tender
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