Meritage Hospitality Group, which runs 314 Wendy's locations across 15 states, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Wendy's franchising arm, Quality Is Our Recipe LLC, is listed as its largest unsecured creditor, owed roughly $24.9 million in deferred franchise fees. Meritage says it will continue operating its restaurants, including its Bojangles and independent locations, during restructuring.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-21
A major Wendy's franchisee operating 314 restaurants has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing what it called sustained system-wide headwinds alongside broader struggles facing the parent company. The filing marks a significant setback for Wendy's, which has already been dealing with declining sales and a contracting store count.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-18
Dave Baumgartner's Bluemont Group opened its 100th Dunkin' location this spring, 16 years after he signed his first franchise deal with no restaurant background. He says starting with 17 stores at once was a mistake and now advises new franchisees to begin with just one location to learn the business first.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-09-16
A number of Domino's Pizza restaurants operated by an Ohio-based franchisee have suddenly shut down. The closures appear tied to the franchise operator's financial difficulties rather than a corporate decision by Domino's itself.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-10
A Denny's franchisee that operated multiple restaurants across Minnesota and Wisconsin abruptly closed all of its locations earlier this month. The closures were confirmed by Fast Company, though the exact number of affected stores and reasons for the shutdown were not fully detailed.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-09