The international square-burger franchise has taken steps to safeguard both customers and employees.
Wendy’s, the international restaurant franchise known best for its iconic square hamburgers, provided an update on the actions it has taken in light of COVID-19 to ensure the safety of its customers and staff through unprecedented times.
From an operational standpoint, this includes the closure of all dining areas, and a prioritization of drive-through and take-away orders. In fact, for the week ending March 22, 2020, the brand saw a significant increase in drive-through ordering; the method now makes up around 90 per cent of Wendy’s’ overall sales mix.
Wendy’s has also had minimal total restaurant closures, with 235 locations temporary shut, which accounts for around 3.5 per cent of the brand’s overall restaurant network.
In the locations that remain open, Wendy’s reinforces strict food safety procedures, and has increased the daily restaurant deep cleaning across its entire network. The majority of office-based employees are now conducting their work from home or remotely, and there have been system-wide travel restrictions elsewhere.
In terms of delivery, the brand recently added Postmates to its list of partners, which already consists of DoorDash and Grubhub in the U.S.
To support its franchise network, Wendy’s is extending payment terms for royalties and marketing funds by 45 days for the next three months, and deferring base rent payments on properties owned by Wendy’s and leased to franchisees by 50 per cent over the next three months.
“This is an unprecedented time, and we are focused on the actions where we can make a positive difference. To that end, we have taken several precautionary steps to advance public health goals, maintain essential access to high quality food, support our franchisees, and safeguard our team members and customers from the spread of COVID-19,” said president and CEO, Todd Penegor. “As we navigate any challenges we face, we’ll do it the Wendy’s way; with a focus on taking care of our people, customers and supporting our franchise partners as we navigate through this very challenging and historic time together.”
