1. Wendy’s (“Project Fresh” Phase II)
The most widespread impact on the Bay State’s fast-food landscape this spring comes from Wendy’s. Under its national “Project Fresh” initiative, the company is shuttering roughly 350 underperforming locations across North America in the first half of 2026.
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- The Massachusetts Target: With nearly 100 locations across the state, older franchise units—particularly those in non-modernized buildings in suburban Worcester and Western Mass—are currently on the watch list.
- The Strategy: CEO Ken Cook has emphasized that the brand is exiting “legacy” footprints that cannot be easily retrofitted with the…