Wendy’s Ushers In New Era

Today is a new day for the 7,000-unit fast-food chain Wendy’s.

Less than a year after announcing its Global Next Gen design standard, the first two such units are up and running in Great Bend, Kan., and Edmond, Okla. From now through 2024, the brand has a pipeline of 200 more Next Gen units set to open.

The modern design has an optimized layout and next-generation technology to offer a more convenient, speedy and accurate ordering experience across drive-thru, dine-in and digital order pickup. Or, more specifically, “The Global Next Gen future-forward design unlocks 400 times the capacity for digital orders, accelerating the system’s digital growth,” says Abigail Pringle, Wendy’s president, international and chief development officer.

The design also is approximately 10% more energy efficient than Wendy’s most common existing format.

“We are excited to harness both design and technology to unlock digital and global growth to meet the demands of our customers today and tomorrow.”

More in Store

Further, Wendy’s has finalized a new Global Next Gen High-Capacity kitchen design option—estimated to deliver nearly a 50% increase in kitchen output capacity, compared to the Global Next Gen standard.

A dual-sided kitchen layout with additional sandwich production areas, a dedicated space for digital orders and more prep area help fulfill the needs of a higher-volume kitchen. The design also features a strategically placed front counter, drive-thru and expanded storage capacity “to enhance overall operational flow while improving crew comfort and speed of service.”

A rendering of Wendy’s Global Next Gen High-Capacity Kitchen design standard is shown.

As is the case for the Global Next Gen units, digital ordering capacity is a core component of the design, with self-order kiosks, conveniently located passthrough order pickup shelving and dedicated parking for mobile order pickup. A dedicated delivery pickup window and parking spaces also improve restaurant traffic flow and convenience for delivery partners, and next-generation tech aims to deliver a fast, frictionless experience to customers and crew alike.

“The new high-capacity kitchen design maximizes kitchen throughput for restaurants with the highest volume using Global Next Gen design innovation as the foundation for success,” says Pringle. “We are excited to harness both design and technology to unlock digital and global growth to meet the demands of our customers today and tomorrow.”