US burger chain Wendy’s is looking to return to the UK

In a presentation to investors, the fast food chain reportedly said that it would be looking to return to the UK within the next 12 to 18 months.

Wendy’s was founded in Ohio in 1969 and operates more than 6,000 franchised and company-owned restaurants in the US and has more than 800 stores around the world, although it is understood that it wants to double this figure within the next five years.

Speculation has been rising about the fast food chain’s return to the capital full time following a one-day pop-up in London back in 2017​​, a move that many regarded as it testing the waters for a re-entry into the UK.

Wendy’s operated around 10 restaurants in the UK, including high profile sites on Shaftesbury Avenue - which is now occupied by McDonald’s - and on Oxford Circus as well as in Leeds. It made the decision to leave the UK in 2000 when it surrendered its leases to concentrate on its domestic North American market.

Wendy’s is one of a number of US fast food giants that still regard the UK as key to their expansion plans. Five Guys has opened more than 100 restaurants in the UK, with a further 10-15 restaurants planned in this year, since crossing the pond in 2013.

US chicken brand Chick-fil-A recently opened its first UK restaurant in Reading’s The Oracle shopping centre​​. The chain, which was founded two years before Wendy’s in 1967, has more than 2,000 locations across the US.