Wendy’s plans to close as many as 358 locations by the middle of 2026, the fast food chain announced Friday. The struggling eatery said it expects to shutter between 5% and 6% of its U.S. restaurants in the first half of this year, following an 11% drop in nationwide sales at locations open at lea st one year in the final quarter of 2025. The locations of the upcoming closures wasn’t immediately clear. Wendy’s ended 2025 with 5,969 restaurants operating in U.S. The 57-year-old, Ohio-based business closed 240 stores in 2024. Many of those locations were said to have been outdated. Going forward, Wendy’s plans to put a greater focus on value as it tries to win back customers amid rising food prices. Interim CEO Ken Cook said the new everyday Biggie Deals menu, which includes $4 Biggie Bites, $6 Biggie Bags and an $8 Biggie Bundle, will help turn things around domestically. He admitted to investors in a conference call that the chain made the mistake of focusing on limited-time price promotions rather than permanent value. Cook said “upcoming innovation across our core menu,” including a new chicken sandwich, will also contribute to its turnaround plans. He expressed optimism about Wendy’s prospects globally as demonstrated by the opening of more than 120 new restaurants. Company stock gained nearly 3% by Friday’s close. With News Wire Services  ...read more read less