Major Wendy’s Franchisee Operating More Than 300 Restaurants Files for Bankruptcy

Meritage Hospitality Group, one of the largest Wendy’s franchise operators in the United States, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it seeks to restructure its finances.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based company operates 314 Wendy’s restaurants across 15 states, along with one Bojangles and five independently branded restaurants. Meritage said it expects restaurant-level operations to continue during the court-supervised process and plans to keep paying approximately 9,000 employees, subject to court approval.

The filing concerns Meritage, an independent franchise company. The Wendy’s Company, the corporate owner of the fast-food brand, has not filed for bankruptcy.

Court filings listed both assets and liabilities between $10 million and $50 million. Meritage said the restructuring is intended to strengthen its balance sheet after pressure tied to broader sales challenges across the Wendy’s system.

Chapter 11 allows a company to reorganize under court supervision and does not by itself mean that all of its restaurants will close.