Franchise News Tracks Franchise Growth, Acquisitions, Expansion and Innovation
- Share prices for Wendy’s jumped after reports that Nelson Peltz, a major Wendy’s franchisee, may be poised to buy the fast-food chain.
- Mathnasium, Anytime Fitness and Townhouse nail salons add to their unit counts.
- Two sets of investors acquire the Bonchon Korean fried chicken restaurant franchise.
- California Pizza Kitchen, Little Caesars and Dickey’s leverage technology to engage and attract customers.
- G6 Hospitality holds town halls with franchisees to guide future priorities.
- A&W rolls out a restaurant model with a new look and a footprint of as small as 2,200 square feet.
Wendy’s share prices surged 15% in mid-August amid reports that Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management was putting together an investor group to buy the brand and take it private. Investors could include BlueFive Capital, a United Arab Emirates-based investment firm, and Flynn Group, one of the chain’s longest franchisees. A bid for Wendy’s might be submitted soon, according to Financial Times, the New York Post and CNBC.
Chairman of the board of Wendy’s from 2007 until 2024, Peltz had made a similar move with Arby’s, Nation’s Restaurant News noted. The billionaire’s Triarc Cos. bought Arby’s in 2008 and three years later sold it to Roark Capital. He had considered a takeover of Wendy’s in 2022 but didn’t pull the trigger. Trian-Peltz owns more than 16% of Wendy’s, making its the company’s largest shareholder, QSR Magazine said.
The fast-food industry has struggled to attract and keep customers who are skittish over inflation. Wendy’s disclosed its sixth straight quarter of same-store sales declines, CNBC reported. The chain’s leaders have been working on a turnaround and issued a statement saying they would “thoroughly review any proposal submitted by Trian consistent with its fiduciary duties,” per Financial Times.
Growing: Mathnasium, Townhouse, Anytime Fitness
Three franchises notched growth as follows.
- Mathnasium Learning Centers, an educational enrichment franchise with 1,300-plus locations in 12 countries, has signed more than 60 franchise agreements and opened 40 learning centers during the first half of 2026. A Mathnasium news release said new and existing franchisees spurred the year’s growth.
- Anytime Fitness’s master franchisee in France has acquired INTERVAL Sport Fitness Group and will convert 10 INTERVAL Sport properties to Anytime Fitness clubs. A news release from Anytime Fitness, a 5,000-plus-unit gym operator within Purpose Brands’ portfolio, said the 24/7/365 workout brand expects to add 500 franchised clubs this year.
- The Townhouse nail salon franchise, which is nearing 50 salons in Europe and the United States, has planted its flag in Italy after signing a 40-unit agreement with PRCNX Italia S.r.l. The upscale brand is based in London.
Bonchon Restaurant Acquisition
Bonchon, a fast-casual restaurant franchise known for its Korean fried chicken, has been acquired by Minor Food and Serruya Private Equity, according to FSR magazine, a trade publication that covers full-service restaurants. Previous Bonchon owners were the shareholders VIG Partners and Mr. Seo & Family. Bonchon CEO Suzie Tsai said Minor Food and SPE will enhance the brand’s franchise network and accelerate growth.
Serruya will own the brand in the Americas, while Minor Food, which is Bonchon’s master franchisee in Thailand, will own other locations around the globe. FSR said Serruya will prioritize expansion in Canada, Mexico, Chile and U.S. markets. According to its website, Bonchon operates about 500 locations worldwide, more than 150 of them in the U.S.
From the Tech Arena…
Franchise technology moves forward with these restaurant innovations:
- Through a partnership with T-ROC Global, California Pizza Kitchen plans to deploy as many as 1,000 automated pizza-making kiosks by 2029. The kiosks will be located at sites such as hospitals, hotels and sports venues, where a full-size restaurant is unworkable, RestaurantDive.com reported Aug. 21. The kiosks can prepare restaurant-quality pizzas in about 90 seconds.
- Little Caesars and Coco Robotics have teamed up to make autonomous pizza deliveries in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and San Jose, Calif. The pizzas are ordered on DoorDash and the orders move from the kitchen to the curb via Coco robots.
- Dickey’s on Aug. 21 launched three interactive mobile games for its Big Yellow Cup Rewards members, according to a Dickey’s news release. Games are accessed by tapping the Weekly Challenge on the Home or Rewards tab within the Dickey’s mobile app; members earn loyalty points for playing the games.
G6 Hospitality Holds Town Halls
Top leaders of G6 Hospitality, parent of Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands, have held town halls with 150-plus franchisees to discuss business performance, share progress on key initiatives and gather owners’ insights on regional market dynamics. “The feedback we received will help us prioritize initiatives that simplify operations, strengthen performance and create greater long-term value across our franchise network,” said Anuj Ladha, who is in charge of G6 Hospitality’s brand performance.
Discussions with franchisees focused on revenue growth, operations, technology, marketing, sales support and franchise success. Corporate leaders also shared updates on recent initiatives relating to technology, operational tactics and direct booking initiatives.
A&W Unveils New Look
A&W Restaurants on Aug. 18 revealed a new restaurant prototype that blends the burger-and-root-beer brand’s history with modern guest comforts. The flexible 2,200- to 2,800-square-foot footprint can accommodate up to 70 guests, A&W stated in a news release.
There are 850-plus A&W restaurants in 35 U.S. states and Asia; 230 of the locations are co-branded with KFC or Long John Silver’s. The brand was founded in 1919.
