The Wendy's Company today announced a new global standard for restaurant design, Global Next Gen, to improve the experience for customers, teams and digital. Starting fall 2022, new Wendy's® Traditional Restaurants will feature a sleek, modern design, optimized layout and next-generation technology to bring more Wendy's meals to more people. people with an emphasis on convenience, speed and accuracy.

"To accelerate our business and expand our global presence, we must constantly meet the needs of our customers, regardless of how they choose to communicate with Wendy's, whether through a digital platform or steering wheel," said Todd Penegor, Wendy's President and CEO. Global Next Gen improves the customer experience across all ordering channels and simplifies operations for our team, while creating better returns for franchisees. »

Global Next Gen includes the following design and technology features to better serve today's customers:

Pick-up window on delivery: With a pick-up window and dedicated delivery parking, it is more convenient and faster for delivery people, who previously had to enter the food hall, to take orders and go. This design also helps move traffic away from the drive-thru line where customers are waiting, so staff can focus on taking and fulfilling orders more quickly, efficiently and accurately.

Dedicated Mobile Order Pickup: Global Next Gen offers mobile parking and restaurant pick-up shelves. Customers select a pickup time when placing their mobile order and, upon arrival, park in a designated mobile order parking spot, dine on the mobile pickup shelves and enjoy their favorite Wendy's products.

A Redesigned Kitchen: A redesigned American galley-style kitchen, which runs from the front to the back of the restaurant, increases efficiency and team oversight across all sales channels. The kitchen design enables efficiencies at the point of sale, provides the ability for teams to move between shifts more easily throughout the day, and promotes faster order processing and culinary innovation.

Next Generation Technology: Global Next Gen is brought to life with the next generation of modernized technologies working hard behind the scenes, empowering restaurant teams to manage far more digital business than ever before. It is also a platform for future-oriented technological innovation.

Optimized infrastructure: New restaurants will use more efficient building elements, such as lighting and heating, ventilation and air conditioning, to reduce energy consumption and costs.

"As the first restaurant brand to offer a modern pick-up window more than 50 years ago, Wendy's continues its legacy of design and innovation with Global Next Gen," said Mr. Penegor. Our new global standard for restaurants unlocks opportunities at the intersection of innovative design and technology, bringing us one step closer to our vision of becoming the world's most successful and loved restaurant brand.”

Wendy's plans to open the first restaurant with this new concept in New Albany, Ohio in the spring of 2023.