One of Wendy’s biggest franchisees is moving to potentially close as many as 60 restaurants, adding to the dozens of stores that it has already closed this year.
The move comes after the franchisee, Meritage Hospitality Group, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan on September 17, 2026. At the time of its September bankruptcy filing, Meritage operated 314 Wendy’s locations.
Michigan-based Meritage is seeking approval to close at least 20 (but no more than 60) stores, with potential closures to take place over the coming weeks through November 13.
Which Wendy’s restaurants will close?
The latest filing doesn’t name specific locations. It notes that specific closings will be determined and disclosed later.
As Fast Company previously reported, Meritage has already closed 33 underperforming stores since filing for bankruptcy last month. The closures across nine states were required by the company’s lenders as a condition for Meritage to continue using cash during the bankruptcy process.
In addition, the franchisee had shuttered around 60 underperforming stores before its September bankruptcy filing. Those closures began in Q4 2025.
If approved, the additional store closures could mean that Meritage would lose nearly a third of the 314 locations that it had operated at the time of its bankruptcy petition.
Fast Company reached out to Wendy’s and Meritage Hospitality Group for more information. We’ll update this story if we receive a reply.
