Wendy's Is Opening Its First UK Restaurant In 21 Years

US restaurant chain Wendy's is set to open its first branch in the UK for more than 20 years, with two locations already in the works.

The UK rollout will begin with the first Wendy's restaurant in Reading, before this is followed by another in Oxford.

The chain said it was also exploring 'additional opportunities' in the London area, adding that it was looking for franchise owners for the new stores.

While there are currently no confirmed launch dates for any of the new locations, Wendy's said the spate of openings will begin within the 'first half of this year', with the restaurants set to be the chain's first in the UK for 21 years.

The fast food giant has not revealed how many locations are due to open in total, or how many jobs are expected to be created in the UK rollout.

Wendy's

A Wendy's spokesperson said: "I can confirm that Wendy's will be opening in the United Kingdom in the first half of this year.

"Our first location will be in Reading and I can also confirm that we will open a restaurant in Oxford.

"We are also exploring additional opportunities in the London area.

"The brand is excited to enter the UK with company-owned and operated restaurants this year, and we are looking for franchisees to grow with us across the UK."

Wendy's was founded in Columbus, Ohio, back in 1969, and has gone on to become the third largest burger chain in the world after McDonald's and Burger King.

It is known for its signature square burger patties, as well as its popular spicy nuggets.

The chain first came to the UK in the 1980s and 1990s, but closed all of its stores here in 2000.

But now it looks like it's finally making a comeback - and many fans are already excited.

One person tweeted: "@Wendys thank you for deciding to return to the UK can't wait for your new branches to open.... #wendys."

Someone else said: "@Wendys what's the news on reopening in the UK? When do we get that awesome chilli back in Britain?"

A third wrote: "Wendy's are opening their first UK store in... Reading?! Sweet! Square burgers here I come!"

Another suggested: "Now we just need @DairyQueen to open in the UK and life will be complete."

Topics: Food, UK News, News, Fast Food

Jess Hardiman

Jess is a journalist at LADbible who graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Film Studies, English Language and Linguistics - indecisiveness at its finest, right there. She also works for FOODbible and its sister page Seitanists, which are both a safe haven for her to channel a love for homemade pasta, fennel and everything else in between. You can contact Jess at [email protected].

@Jess_Hardiman