Wendy’s cooks up deal with Flynn for 200 Australian stores

afr.com:

Washington | American fast-food chain Wendy’s has inked a deal with the world’s largest food franchisee and the new owner of Pizza Hut in Australia, Flynn Restaurant Group, to build 200 local Wendy’s stores starting in two years’ time.

In a deal foreshadowed by The Australian Financial Review in February, the Nasdaq-listed burger giant – the world’s third-largest after McDonald’s and Burger King – will pose a fresh challenge to local operators such as Hungry Jack’s.

Hungry Jack’s’ founder, billionaire Jack Cowin, has questioned Wendy’s’ ambitions in Australia after its foray in the 1980s failed.

Abigail Pringle, president for Wendy’s international and chief development officer, said that following the positive reaction from Sydneysiders to a one-day Wendy’s pop-up event in 2021, and the overwhelming interest in its arrival, the burger company was ready to formalise a deal.

Abigail Pringle in her office in Columbus, Ohio earlier this year.  Kirk Irwin.

Ms Pringle said Australia is a “high priority, strategic growth market”.

“Flynn Restaurant Group has incredible experience in the restaurant space, and we are thrilled to expand our relationship with them,” she said.

“They have a strong leadership team, great culture, vast industry knowledge, success with our brand in the US, and we are confident that Flynn Restaurant Group is the right partner to unlock growth for Wendy’s in Australia.”

Flynn operates Taco Bell and Pizza Hut in the US, as well as 190 Wendy’s shopfronts in five states and Washington DC.

Wendy’s said the agreement with Flynn would drive growth in Australia “primarily after 2025, with the ambition to hit 200 restaurants across the country through 2034, through a combination of equity stores and sub-franchise