Wendy's is making a move in the Meritage Hospitality bankruptcy fallout. Restaurant franchisors often play an outsized role in bankruptcy because they control the brand, the franchise agreement, and who is allowed to keep operating under the name. That is now the central issue in Wendy's dispute with Meritage Hospitality Group, a major franchisee whose Chapter 11 filing has triggered a fight over hundreds of Wendy's restaurants in the Midwest and South. Wendy's formally objected to Meritage's continued operations. Wendy's has asked the bankruptcy court to block Meritage Hospitality Group from continuing to operate its Wendy's restaurants under terminated franchise agreements. Nation's Restaurant News reported on September 22 that Wendy's said in court filings Meritage had defaulted on its franchise agreements, failed to cure unpaid royalty obligations, and no longer had the right to run the stores. The franchisor said Meritage owes $27.4 million in unpaid royalties, and the filing sets up a direct challenge to the debtor's control of a large Wendy's portfolio. The scale is significant. Meritage operates 314 Wendy's restaurants, along with one Bojangles location and five Morning Belle restaurants, according to Nation's Restaurant News reporting published after the Chapter 11 filing on September 18. Wendy's said the franchisee had received an extension on royalty payments, but that extension expired in August. After Meritage did not pay, Wendy's terminated the franchise agreements earlier in September, according to the report. Wendy's is not just objecting to Meritage's legal position. The company is also signaling what it wants next. According to the filing described by Nation's Restaurant News, Wendy's is effectively arguing that the restaurants should be transitioned either back to the franchisor or to other approved franchisees, with a short-term operating arrangement possible during any handoff. The local footprint is broad, but specific store outcomes remain unclear. For customers and workers in Meritage markets, the immediate issue is continuity. Nation's Restaurant News reported that Meritage's Wendy's restaurants are concentrated mostly in the Midwest and South, which means the bankruptcy dispute has consequences across a large regional footprint rather than in a single city or state. What is confirmed is the size of the Wendy's estate in bankruptcy and Wendy's effort to limit Meritage's ability to keep operating those units under the old agreements. What is not yet public is a comprehensive store-by-store list tied to Wendy's latest court move. The company has not released a full list of affected state, city, or local restaurant locations connected to the franchise-termination dispute. That means readers in specific markets may know a Meritage-operated Wendy's is in their area, but the current public reporting does not identify every restaurant that could be sold, relicensed, temporarily operated, or closed. There is also a second operational question hanging over the case. The U.S. Trustee has objected to Meritage's request to close up to 40 restaurants in the coming weeks, calling that proposal outside the ordinary course of business, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The first of those closures could begin quickly, but public reporting has not identified a complete city-level list of those locations. Debt, royalties, and weak performance are at the center of the dispute. The underlying causes described so far are financial, operational, and brand-specific. Nation's Restaurant News reported that Meritage entered Chapter 11 with about $155 million in secured debt, much of it owed to City National Bank. In a bankruptcy case, secured lenders typically have first-priority claims on assets, but franchisors still retain leverage because franchise agreements determine who may legally operate branded restaurants. Meritage's filing also followed earlier retrenchment. Nation's Restaurant News reported on September 18 that the company had already closed 60 locations earlier in 2026, and that those closures were linked to Wendy's weak overall performance. That earlier report also said Meritage believed the bankruptcy process would help it strengthen its balance sheet and create financial flexibility, while Wendy's said its focus remained on customers, the franchise system, and the long-term health of the brand. For customers, the practical takeaway is that most restaurants may continue operating during the early stages of the case, but ownership or operating control could change if Wendy's prevails. Wendy's has said it would consider a temporary license to keep restaurants running during a transition, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The next phase of the case is likely to determine whether these restaurants stay with Meritage for now, move to Wendy's control, or are transferred to other franchisees.

About 300 Wendy's restaurants may close in the US - why? 15:14, 23.09.2026 One of the largest franchisees of the Wendy's fast food restaurant chain has filed for bankruptcy. A record increase in beef prices was cited as the reason for financial difficulties. At the end of last year, as part of a restructuring, the company had already closed dozens of unprofitable restaurants, and now about 300 more Wendy's establishments were under threat, The Mirror US reports. Meritage Hospitality Group, which operates 314 Wendy's restaurants in 15 states, filed for bankruptcy Sept. 17 in federal court for the Western District of Michigan. A day earlier, Wendy's notified franchisees that it was terminating the agreement "with immediate effect." According to Wendy's, Meritage owes the company $27.4 million in royalties and other payments. In addition, the chain is seeking another $119.5 million in fees related to restaurant closures: Meritage closed 60 locations last year. "We have been working with franchisees and their lenders for over a year to find a sustainable path forward. "Ultimately, given the circumstances, we concluded that terminating the agreement was the most appropriate solution," the company said. Meritage's largest market is Michigan, where the company operates 54 Wendy's restaurants. It also owns 44 Wendy's restaurants in Georgia and Florida, 29 in Connecticut, 24 in Tennessee, and 23 in Oklahoma. The company has less than 20 restaurants each in Arkansas, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. Wendy's itself has also faced financial difficulties in recent years. The chain closed 240 restaurants in 2024 and earlier this year announced plans to shut down up to 358 more locations. Beef comes first? Recently, US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said demand for beef remains strong despite rising prices, and Americans, she said, "don't mind" paying more for meat for their families. In an interview with The Benny Show on Monday, Rollins cited several reasons for the high prices. In particular, she accused Democrats of trying to "destroy cattle herds" and also mentioned the spread of blowflies. The first case of infection with a dangerous pest in Texas was detected on June 3 in cattle in Zavala County, RTVI previously reported. The minister said the increase in demand associated with the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement played a role. "Bobby Kennedy, MAHA and I have turned the nutritional guidelines around and put beef first. People say, "I want beef." America eats more beef than any other country in the world. And instead of eating less of it as prices rise, driven by supply and demand, Americans are eating more beef," she said. Beef prices have risen steadily over the past few years. From July to August 2026 alone, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price increased from $7,116 to $7,158 per pound. A year earlier, beef averaged $6.631 per pound.

Fast-Food chain Wendy's enlist Silverstein, blessthefall, Memphis May Fire, etc. Members for new emo EP. Fast-food chain Wendy's have released a new emo-inspired EP that features a variety of well known musicians from the post-hardcore, metalcore, etc. scenes. That 6-song outing arrives in partnership with Rise Records and finds members of Silverstein, Memphis May Fire, blessthefall, Holy Wars and more fronting tracks that unite Wendy's menu items with emo culture. It's been titled "Songs to Listen to in a Wendy's Parking Lot" and runs as follows: 01 - "She Said She Didn't Want Fries (She Lied)" (feat. Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire) 02 - "Salt in the Wound" (feat. Chloe Kinnon of Winona Fighter) 03 - "I Miss the Sunroom" (feat. Shane Told of Silverstein) 04 - "The Best Combo Meal on the Worst Night of my Life" (feat. Beau Bokan of blessthefall) 05 - "It's Not a Phase, It's a 10pc" (feat. Derek DiScanio of State Champs) 06 - "My Frosty's Funeral" (feat. Kat Leon of Holy Wars) Producer, etc. Matt Squire (Panic! At The Disco, Underoath) is credited as the primary songwriter throughout the effort. Videos for each of the featured tracks have been released below, with the effort also available on leading digital service providers via wendys.lnk.to/SongsToListenTo. In the past, Wendy's infamously served up some surprisingly knowledgeable heat on various bands from the metal, metalcore, pop-punk, etc. scenes with their 'National Roast Day' events.