The Wendy's Company Q3 2026 Earnings Recap

Wendy’s shares rose 3.8% after the earnings release, with investors likely responding to sequential improvement in U.S. same-restaurant sales and management’s early turnaround actions. Still, U.S. sales remained sharply negative, and global systemwide sales fell 5.9%.

Key Takeaways

• Total revenue was approximately flat, down 0.5%; global systemwide sales decreased 5.9%.
• U.S. same-restaurant sales declined 5.7%, improving 130 basis points sequentially from Q2. Management said traffic improved through each period of the quarter.
• International systemwide sales grew 3.5%, with 30 restaurants opened in the quarter and 84 opened year to date through Q3.
• Net U.S. restaurant count fell by 13 in the quarter as closures slowed.
• Management outlined its Dave’s Way strategy, including menu work, changes to marketing and operations, broader delivery initiatives, and actions to strengthen franchisee economics.