56-year-old McDonald’s rival chain quietly closes locations

The fast-food burger assemblage is facing a important downsizing of store locations arsenic large chains person revealed plans to adjacent hundreds of restaurants.

One of the largest burger chains, Wendy's, said it plans to adjacent 5%-6% of its 5,831 U.S. edifice locations listed connected its website, oregon astir 292 to 350 underperforming units, successful 2026, according to its 4th fourth net telephone reported by The Motley Fool.

Wendy's closes underperforming stores

The fast-food concatenation said successful the Feb. 13 telephone that it had already closed 28 restaurants arsenic portion of its strategy optimization programme nether its Project Fresh turnaround program to trim the fig of underperforming units to amended profitability and franchisee economics. The remaining stores volition beryllium closed passim 2026, the institution said.

Another burger concatenation has been closing edifice locations nether the radar.

Habit Burger closes locations

Popular fast-food concatenation The Habit Burger and Grill has softly closed respective locations implicit the past 4 months, astir precocious shutting its edifice successful Mooresville, N.C., The Charlotte Observer reported.

The Irvine, Calif.-based burger concatenation closed its determination astatine 379 W. Plaza Drive successful Mooresville successful mid-April, citing a "shift successful absorption to different areas poised for growth," according to a motion posted successful 1 of the store's windows.

The edifice was listed arsenic permanently closed successful an April 21 Google posting, The Observer reported.

“This Location is closed. But our chargrills are fired up nearby. While we’ve closed this Habit Burger location, you tin inactive bask your chargrill favorites astatine 1 of our adjacent restaurants. Find your closest Habit astatine habitburger.com/locations oregon connected the Habit Mobile App.” the motion read, according to The Observer.

When the Mooresville edifice opened successful 2023, the Charlotte country had six The Habit locations, CharlotteFive reported connected Instagram. After the Mooresville closing, locations stay successful Denver, N.C.; Monroe, N.C.; and Indian Land, S.C.

Burger concatenation closes different locations

The Habit Burger besides closed a determination successful the Morris Hills Shopping Center, astatine 3043 U.S. Route 46, successful Parsippany, N.J., successful February 2026 aft operating determination for implicit 10 years, Parsippany Focus reported.

The edifice did not authorities a crushed for closing the Parsippany location, Parsippany Focus said.

Two months earlier closing the Parsippany restaurant, The Habit closed its determination successful Hesperia, Calif., which besides had operated for astir 10 years, successful aboriginal December 2025, the Victorville Daily Press reported.

High prices, nary drive-thru doom determination

Customers cited the restaurant's precocious burger prices, nary drive-thru service, and its determination adjacent an In-N-Out Burger for closing the Hersperia The Habit, the Daily Press reported.