Dublin, Ohio — The Wendy’s Company is opening its first Global Next Gen restaurants, while also finalizing a new Global Next Gen High-Capacity Kitchen design option for the highest customer demand. Both digital-first designs were created to enhance customer, crew and franchisee experiences, accelerating growth across Wendy’s® global restaurant footprint.
Since unveiling the Global Next Gen restaurant design standard less than 1 year ago, the first Wendy’s Global Next Gen restaurants are now open in Kansas and Oklahoma, with more than 200 Global Next Gen restaurants slated to open through 2024. Wendy’s Global Next Gen restaurants feature a sleek and modern design with an optimized layout and next-generation technology to deliver more Wendy’s to more people with an emphasis on convenience, speed and accuracy across drive-thru, dine-in and digital order pickup.
“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 & chief development officer. “By bringing Global Next Gen from cutting-edge blueprints to successful openings in less than 1 year, Wendy’s global structure is enabling systemwide expansion optimized to the digital age.”
For restaurants with the highest customer demand, Wendy’s developed a new Global Next Gen High-Capacity Kitchen, which is estimated to deliver nearly a 50% increase in kitchen output capacity compared to the Global Next Gen standard. The new high-capacity kitchen leverages the Global Next Gen design, with the added benefits of a dual-sided kitchen layout and increased equipment capacity:
• Kitchen Throughput: Dual-sided kitchen design features state-of-the-art equipment and layout to maximize kitchen capacity, providing crew members with the tools they need to deliver exceptional quality efficiently, including additional sandwich production areas, dedicated space for digital orders and more prep area.
• Operational Efficiencies: Reduced travel distances for crew members with strategically placed front counter, drive-thru and expanded storage capacity to enhance overall operational flow while improving crew comfort and speed of service.
The Global Next Gen High-Capacity Kitchen design standard incorporates Global Next Gen restaurant innovations to meet shifting customer preferences, including increasing digital order capacity:
• Streamlined Ordering: Self-order kiosks, conveniently located pass-through order pickup shelving, and dedicated parking for mobile order pickup help to create a more convenient experience for digital-first customers.
• Delivery Optimizations: A dedicated delivery pickup window and parking spaces improve restaurant traffic flow and overall convenience for delivery partners.
• Technology Integration: Next generation technology enables a fast, frictionless experience for restaurant teams to handle more digital orders.
“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.”
Wendy’s® was founded in 1969 by Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio. Today, Wendy’s has approximately 7,000 restaurants worldwide. For more information, visit www.wendys.com/franchising and www.wendys.com.
SOURCE: The Wendy’s Company