US fast food brand Wendy’s, the home of the square hamburger, launched with a store on Cavill Avenue in Surfer’s Paradise, Gold Coast on Wednesday (January 15).
The arrival of the first Australian location in 40 years will kickstart national expansion.
The master franchisee for Wendy’s Australia is the global leader in franchise operations, the California-based Flynn Group.
Lauren Leahy, the group’s chief transformation officer, said the US burger chain brings a fresh approach to the Australian food scene.
“The Wendy’s brand was built on doing things differently, from square hamburgers to being one of the most talked about brands on social media,” Leahy said.
“Wendy’s embraces a challenger mindset, and we think Australians do too.
We’ve put our guests in the centre of every detail from a vibrant new restaurant design with a laser focus on delivering the best chicken and hamburger experience,” she said.
Flynn Group is also the master franchisee for Pizza Hut in Australia.
It acquired the license in June 2023, adding 260 locations to its portfolio which now extends to more than 2900 restaurants across seven brands, generating US$5 billion sales.
US burger brands in Australia
Wendy’s first arrived in Australia in 1982, but lasted only three years before collapsing in debt.
Rolling out a burger chain across the country has proved challenging for other US brands which have dipped their toes in the Australian market in recent years.
Five Guys hit the Australian market in 2021.
Today it has just two Sydney sites and two locations in Melbourne.
Mark Wahlberg’s brand Wahlburgers launched in Sydney at Circular Quay in 2021.
With plans to open 15 outlets, so far it has expanded to Manly and Sydney’s west, as well as Byron Bay and Surfers Paradise.
The Carl’s Jr business launched on the NSW Central Coast in 2016. It has had a number of agreements with licensees for different regions (one master franchisee called in administrators last year) and has built up a 28-store footprint across the East Coast.
The US behemoth McDonald’s takes the lion share of Australia’s $11.5 billion burger market, with more than 1000 stores and an estimated brand revenue of $5.7 billion.
IbisWorld estimates Macca’s share of the fast food market at 20 per cent.
That is twice the market share of its nearest rival, Competitive Foods, which operates Hungry Jacks.
Wendy’s plans to open 200 restaurants across Australia, a mix of equity stores and sub-franchised outlets.
View article source here.
Subscribe to our free mailing list and always be the first to receive the latest news and updates.