Wendy's Plans 100 New Restaurants in New York Metro Area in Five Years
Newest Store Opens Near Empire State Building
August 5, 1998 12:00 PM
NEW YORK, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers Restaurants WEN announced today that it will increase restaurant development in the New York area by 50 percent over the next five years, adding 100 new restaurants, for a total of 300 units.
According to Jack T. Schuessler, Wendy's president and chief operating officer of U.S. operations, the chain currently has 177 units in the New York metropolitan area, will have 194 by the end of the year, and has plans to open about 20 units per year for the next five years.
"New York is a priority market for Wendy's," Schuessler said. "We kicked off an aggressive development plan in 1996 when we acquired 40 Roy Rogers restaurants in the New York area, and our planned growth over the next five years is a strong commitment to better serving our customers. We are extremely pleased with the business opportunities in the New York marketplace, and we look forward to continued growth here."
Today marks the opening of Wendy's newest restaurant, which is located across from the Empire State Building at 33rd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Owned and operated by Wendy's franchisee Metropolitan Food Systems, Inc., the two-level restaurant will be one of the largest in the Wendy's system, with 4,500 square feet of space. It will seat 150 customers, employ 80 to 90 people, and will provide breakfast, as well as traditional lunch and dinner fare.
"The restaurant's upscale design and menu, as well as Wendy's traditional fast, friendly service, will appeal to adult quick service restaurant customers who want nutritious meals with variety that meet the demands of their busy schedules," said Todd Bialow, one of Metropolitan Foods' principals.
The New York development is part of Wendy's strategic initiative to increase new systemwide unit growth by more than 15 percent in 1999 to approximately 675 total units worldwide. This includes plans for 460 new Wendy's (350 in the U.S. and 110 in other countries) and 215 new Tim Hortons (175 in Canada and 40 in the U.S.).
Metropolitan Food Systems was established in 1994, and is the same franchisee that owns the Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant in Rockefeller Center.
Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers Restaurants was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas, who named the chain after one of his daughters. In 1995, Wendy's merged with Tim Hortons, Canada's second largest quick service chain, specializing in coffee and fresh baked goods. Wendy's has more than 5,300 restaurants worldwide, and 1600 Tim Hortons, with systemwide sales of more than $6 billion.
SOURCE Wendy's International, Inc.
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