Who owns Wendy's?
Wendy's is owned by The Wendy's Company (the United States, NASDAQ: WEN).[1]
Evidence: The Wendy's Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-23, SEC EDGAR, 23 February 2026. Verified from filings; last checked .
Key facts
- Current owner
- The Wendy's Company verified
- Owner HQ
- 🇺🇸 United States, Dublin, Ohio
- Origin
- 🇺🇸 United States, Columbus, Ohio
- Founded
- 1969
- Category
- Restaurants & foodservice › Quick-service restaurants › Burger & chicken chains
- Parent ticker
- NASDAQ: WEN
- Last verified
- · 1 sources
About Wendy's
Wendy's sells square burgers from fresh rather than frozen beef in most markets, and its Frosty, a thick dairy dessert, has been on the menu since the first day. Its confrontational social media account became a marketing case study in its own right.
Ownership timeline of Wendy's
Where Wendy's sits in Wendy's
Controlling ownership as of . Brands grouped under the entity that owns them; large groups are collapsed.
Open the full Wendy's ownership tree →
Other brands in burger & chicken chains, and who owns them
The 38 brands in burger & chicken chains on Brandtree belong to 23 owners. The largest is Jollibee Group, with 5.
| Brand | Owner | Owner based in |
|---|---|---|
| Chowking | Jollibee Group | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
| Arby's | Inspire Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| KFC | Yum! Brands | 🇺🇸 United States |
| Chester's | CP Foods | 🇹🇭 Thailand |
| Burger King | Restaurant Brands International | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Papa Murphy's | MTY Group | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| Wimpy (Middle East) | Americana Restaurants | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates |
| Steak n Shake | Biglari Holdings | 🇺🇸 United States |
About the owner: Wendy's
Wendy's is a publicly listed company headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, United States, founded in 1969. Brandtree records 1 brand under its control, and it is listed as NASDAQ: WEN.
Wendy's was founded in Columbus in 1969 by Dave Thomas, who named it after his daughter and sold square beef patties that hung over the edge of a round bun so customers could see they were not skimping. It briefly owned Tim Hortons before spinning it off in 2006.
🇺🇸 Wendy's and other American brands
Brandtree records a controlling owner for 2,549 brands that began in the United States. 478 of them (19%) are now controlled by a company headquartered in another country; Wendy's is not one of them.
- Applebee's — Dine Brands 🇺🇸
- Arby's — Inspire Brands 🇺🇸
- Baja Fresh — MTY Group 🇨🇦
- Bonefish Grill — Bloomin' Brands 🇺🇸
- Burger King — Restaurant Brands International 🇨🇦
- Caribou Coffee — Panera Brands 🇺🇸
Frequently asked questions
Who is the parent company of Wendy's?
The parent company of Wendy's is The Wendy's Company, a publicly listed company headquartered in the United States.
Is Wendy's American?
Yes. Wendy's originated in the United States in 1969 and its owner, The Wendy's Company, is also headquartered in the United States.
Is Wendy's still owned by The Wendy's Company?
Yes. As of 16 September 2026, Wendy's is still owned by The Wendy's Company. The ownership record was last checked against primary sources on that date.
Sources (1) & corrections
Last verified . Every ownership fact above is backed by one of these primary documents. Numbers in brackets in the text refer to this list.
- [1] The Wendy's Company Annual Report on Form 10-K filed 2026-02-23 — SEC EDGAR, SEC Form 10-K, published 23 February 2026; retrieved 16 September 2026.
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