Wendy’s closes Columbus restaurant as turnaround plan targets weaker sales

The Wendy’s at 2626 Bethel Road in northwest Columbus has gone dark, while the Tim Hortons that shared its building stayed open. For the crew attached to that corner of the Carriage Place shopping center, the closure meant one less place to clock in and one more reminder that turnaround plans usually land first on the people working the floor.

Wendy’s closed the restaurant on April 3 as part of Project Fresh, the company’s effort to reshape a business that has been under pressure from weaker traffic and sliding sales. The Dublin-based chain said the plan is meant to strengthen restaurant performance, improve customer experience and set the brand up for long-term growth. But on the ground, that kind of language usually translates into a narrower store base, tighter schedules and more work concentrated in the units that survive.

The company’s latest results show why the pressure is building. Global systemwide sales fell 8.3% in the fourth quarter of 2025 and 3.5% for the full year, while U.S. same-restaurant sales dropped 11.3% in the quarter. Wendy’s ended 2025 with 5,969 U.S. restaurants and 1,428 international restaurants, for 7,397 total locations. Interim CEO Ken Cook said the company is moving with urgency to strengthen the foundation for long-term success.

Project Fresh was unveiled on October 9, 2025, with a broad mandate to revitalize the brand, improve operations and reallocate capital and resources. Wendy’s also brought in Creed UnCo, led by former Taco Bell and Yum! Brands chief Greg Creed, to help improve marketing effectiveness and brand relevance. The company has said the plan could include about 300 underperforming U.S. restaurants over the next year, and later estimates pointed to closures equal to roughly 5% to 6% of U.S. locations, with 28 closures already completed in 2025 and more expected in the first half of 2026.

That makes the Bethel Road shutdown more than a single-store story. Wendy’s Ohio footprint fell from 398 restaurants to 388 after recent closures were reflected on the company’s site, a sign that the reset is spreading beyond one neighborhood. In restaurant terms, fewer units often means the remaining stores have to absorb more volume with the same labor constraints, from line cooks and cashiers to shift supervisors trying to keep drive-thru times down.

Wendy’s has said its international business remains a bright spot, with international systemwide sales up 6.2% in the fourth quarter and 8.1% for the full year, supported by 121 net new restaurants in 2025. But in Columbus, the message is simpler: one Wendy’s closed, one shared building stayed partially open, and a turnaround plan that starts with “underperforming” stores is already changing the map.