Fast Food Restaurant Remodels

[Alpha8472]

A local Wendy's remodeled recently. It was a cheap remodel unlike the extensive remodels where they remodel the interior and exterior.

Wendy's used to do the remodel where the outside looks standardized and the interior has the familiar dining area and a fireplace area with sofas.

The local Wendy's did not change the exterior, but redid the interior. The only thing I noticed was new furniture and a new layer of white paint. The layout is the same.

The new furniture is a gray brown reclaimed wood. It looks really weathered and bland. I don't like this reclaimed wood trend. It looks you are sitting on old park benches.

The entire look and feel is like a low budget shack. By far this the ugliest remodel I have seen in a long time.

From the outside the only change is new signage. This remodel won't attract any new customers. It looks the same from the outside and now it looks creepy and old on the inside.

I don't want to sit on dirty old park benches.

Another local San Francisco Bay Area Burger King is undergoing a remodel. This one is a bland box design like a box McDonald's with dual drive thru lanes just like the new McDonald's format. It looks like Burger King is making a clone of the McDonald's format.

[storewanderer]

Wendys has a lower cost remodel format now, to try to get units to remodel that previously did not remodel.

Burger King has a major remodel going in Reno at S. Virginia/Patriot across from In N Out. It is amazing this Burger King has been able to stay in business. It has some drive through traffic but inside traffic was very minimal. Inside was remodeled about 15 years ago and it was in good condition inside, but they are gutting it.

[ClownLoach]

Wendy's is plain inconsistent and getting worse with these remodel programs. Allowing the franchisee to just paint the walls and install generic furniture doesn't build a brand. Neither does inconsistent food, cold stale french fries, or comically high prices. I got a chuckle out of the new Chili's commercials, they say "have you seen those fast food prices lately? It's like they want you to go to Chili's."

[storewanderer]

Wendy's is plain inconsistent and getting worse with these remodel programs. Allowing the franchisee to just paint the walls and install generic furniture doesn't build a brand. Neither does inconsistent food, cold stale french fries, or comically high prices. I got a chuckle out of the new Chili's commercials, they say "have you seen those fast food prices lately? It's like they want you to go to Chili's."

There are two Wendys left in my area that haven't been remodeled. One was remodeled right before their major remodel program and it looks pretty good but feels dated, it doesn't do much business. The other is stuck in the early 2000s at best and usually isn't open inside but is actually a pretty busy location.

There are two other extremely low volume Wendys that were remodeled during COVID and they got the nice remodels but done extremely cheaply. One of the units is literally falling apart. The other unit suffers from too much broken equipment. They don't seem to upgrade kitchen equipment.

[Alpha8472]

I noticed that one of the Wendy's in my area is falling apart also. It was remodeled a year or so ago, but without a fireplace. There is peeling paint and water damage. It looks like they did a superficial remodel, but neglected to replace the leaking roof. The newish lighted Wendy's signs flicker on and off constantly at night.

The remodeling seems to look nice at first, but it neglects everything.

[storewanderer]

I noticed that one of the Wendy's in my area is falling apart also. It was remodeled a year or so ago, but without a fireplace. There is peeling paint and water damage. It looks like they did a superficial remodel, but neglected to replace the leaking roof. The newish lighted Wendy's signs flicker on and off constantly at night.

The remodeling seems to look nice at first, but it neglects everything.

This franchisee remodeled two very poorly performing early 1980's units right as COVID started and these remodels were done very cheaply. One of the units is in a neighborhood that just has problems and I think a car drove into the window and it was boxed up for months. This place is barely open inside but lately they seem to be keeping it open inside and I am noticing a trickle of traffic there at both lunch and dinner now; 3-4 cars is more than the 0 they had when inside was closed. The parking lot has no lines and the facility feels abandoned; I am shocked it is still open. The other unit they remodeled was similarly neglected but not in a bad area and just never did business to justify much investment, this one they have kept open inside more but I'm not sure it even sees 50 customers inside the entire day/night. So I do not think these remodels improved those units customer counts at all.

This franchisee had a third unit they remodeled during COVID and this is a busier unit shared with a 7-Eleven. This was also a late 90's build unit. This unit they spent a lot of money. They didn't do much to the exterior. They built their own restrooms (previously shared with 7-Eleven) and this unit feels completely new/gutted. I don't think much equipment was replaced but a lot of it was newer to begin with. This store looks really nice after the remodel. But I am not sure business improved.