Both Burger King and Wendy’s have closed or plan to close hundreds of restaurants.
In the case of Burger King, the company suffered from the loss of key franchisees. The chain has mitigated the problem by purchasing some shuttered locations, but it has already lost dozens of restaurants.
Wendy’s, which also operates a franchise model, has taken a more aggressive approach to its restaurants. Interim CEO Ken Cook laid out the plans during the chain’s third-quarter earnings call.
“On our last earnings call, I outlined three key initiatives: better understand our customers, streamline our planning and execution, and work more closely with our franchisees, One Wendy’s. In addition to these initiatives, we have made the strategic decision to prioritize average volume growth over net volume growth in our U.S. operations,” he said.
This prompted the company to launch “Project Fresh,” a comprehensive turnaround plan designed to drive profitable growth and long-term value for its U.S. systems.
Additionally, the chain has been evaluating underperforming restaurants with an eye toward improving performance.
“For some locations, this involves making operational changes or deploying technology. For other locations, we are increasing productivity by adjusting operating hours to better meet demand, particularly in the morning and late night hours,” Cook shared.
For some locations, the solution will be more compelling.
“In other cases, the solution will be to close restaurants that have been underperforming. These actions will strengthen the system and allow franchisees to invest more capital and resources in remaining restaurants,” he shared.
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The chain expects to close about 400 struggling stores to free up money to improve remaining stores.
The interim CEO added: “Investments include new kitchen equipment to ensure the highest quality, most delicious food, as well as technology upgrades such as digital menu boards to increase productivity and give our teams more time to focus on hospitality.”
While Hardee’s isn’t as public about its problems as Wendy’s or Burger King, it suffers from a shrinking number of restaurants. There are a variety of reasons for closures.
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In 2023, Hardee’s master franchisee Summit Dinings Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. That led the company to close nearly 40 Hardee’s stores in multiple Midwestern and Southern states, which it attributed to poor performance at all restaurants and a lack of in-store traffic.
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In 2024, Hardee’s closed stores in at least seven cities in Illinois and has closed several stores in 2025, including one in Delaware.
Source: FinanceBuzz -
Hardee’s sister brand Carl’s Jr. suffered a similar fate. The company has closed a number of stores in the past few months, closing more than 20 restaurants in Australia and opening one in Georgetown, Texas, last year.
Source: 7News Australia
Hardee’s closure continues in 2025.
Because Hardee’s is not publicly traded, its parent company, CKE Restaurants, is not obligated to report which restaurants it has closed. But local news often reports when a location closes.
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Hardee’s, Fargo, ND (3072 45th St. S.): Closing permanently in November 2025.
Source: InForum -
Hardee’s, West Fargo, North Dakota (1450 13th Ave. E.): Closing permanently in November 2025.
Source: InForum -
All Hardee’s locations in Sioux City, IA: Both stores will close permanently from November 2025.
Source: KTIV -
Hardee’s, Willmar, Minnesota (1704 First Street South): Closing permanently in November 2025.
Source: West Central Tribune -
Hardee’s, Marion, IL (1100 N. Carbon St.): Permanently closed from December 2025 (door number).
Source: KFVS -
Hardee’s, Fredericktown, MO (501 E. Highway 72):Suddenly closed without notice on December 4, 2025.
Source: Daily Journal Online -
Hardee’s, Millville, PA: permanently closed in August 2025 after more than 50 years in operation.
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A Hardee’s franchisee with 76 locations in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee and Florida could face closure from its parent company, according to reports.
Source: RetailWire
Hardee’s has adopted artificial intelligence to assist its drive-thru operations, and even after working with the company and adding human oversight, things haven’t gone smoothly.
“A 2024 report on drive-thru wait times from Intouch Insight confirms that the ordering process at Hardee’s drive-thrus can be slow and is apparently getting slower. In 2022, Hardee’s was hailed as the third-highest category leader for the fastest total time customers spent in drive-thrus, but in 2024, the chain didn’t even crack the top five,” The Takeout reports.
Hardee’s also faces a customer perception problem.
“On Yelp, Hardee Brands has rated more than 1,380 locations on the site and has more than 9,000 reviews, which have earned the chain an impressive average rating of 2.3 out of 5,” according to Yelp data.
The comments tend to be harsh.
“Had the $5.99 double cheeseburger combo today. The burger was very small and cooked like a hockey puck. The cheese was cold instead of melted and the bun was stale. The fries were hot and the tea was good. All the Hardee’s in the area are definitely going downhill,” Charlie B wrote on the local restaurant’s Yelp page.
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By comparison, Burger King had sales of $1.6 million, Wendy’s had sales of $2.1 million, and McDonald’s had sales of nearly $4 million. All four companies have similar business models, with drive-thrus available in all three time slots and restaurants.
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Hardee’s average unit sales are lower than a decade ago.
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The chain has closed 200 stores in the United States over the past decade, including 150 in the past three years.
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The brand’s domestic system sales have fallen 12% since 2014, according to Restaurant Business sister company Technomic.
Source: Catering Business Online
Hardee’s isn’t the only company in trouble.
“Closings are a common theme among brands experiencing declining sales,” Technomic noted. About 75% of chains in the category closed at least one store during the year.
This can partly be attributed to issues facing the industry as a whole.
“The restaurant industry faces significant headwinds in 2024, including higher prices, shifting consumer spending patterns and increased competition,” said Kevin Schimpf, senior director of industry research at Technomic.
“Despite the challenging environment, sales at the Top 500 chains continued to grow positively, climbing for the fourth consecutive year.”
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This article was originally published by TheStreet on December 6, 2025, and first appeared in the Restaurants section. Click here to add TheStreet as your preferred source.