Who owns Wendy's?

However, they are essentially one and the same. Peltz is one of two other co-founders of Trian Partners, all of whom have significant personal holdings in Wendy's. The fast-food chain is one of the hedge fund's prized portfolio companies.

Wendy's is not just a fast-food company; it is the third largest hamburger chain in the United States, behind McDonald's and Burger King. It all started in 1969 when Dave Thomas opened the first Wendy's restaurant in Ohio, which is where the headquarters can be found.

Under Thomas's leadership, Wendy's expanded rapidly, with the chain's 1,000th store opening within a decade of the company's founding. Growth continued after Thomas ceased to oversee day-to-day operations in 1982.

Thomas later goes on to become the tv spokesperson for Wendy's, thanks to his folksy avuncular demeanor, which proved to be popular with viewers, and the generally wholesome tone. By the time Thomas died in 2002, he had appeared in over 800 Wendy's commercials, the most ad appearances for any company's founder to that point in history.

Years of complex corporate mergers, acquisitions, and sales involving Wendy's and a number of other fast-food companies were resolved with the 2011 establishment of the corporate parent firm, "The Wendy's Company" and with the return of Wendy's corporate headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, just a few miles away from the location of the original Wendy's restaurant.

In 2021, Wendy's generated 0.77 billion in US dollars, thanks largely to franchise revenue. They currently have 14,000 employees worldwide. Wendy's serves customers in 29 countries and US territories worldwide.