Wendy's to rollout delivery kitchens under Reef partnership

The US burger chain, which returned to UK shores earlier this summer after a two decade hiatus, is plotting to open 700 delivery kitchens across the US, Canada and the UK over the next five years. 

Reef will become Wendy’s first franchisee in the UK and will initially focus on opening delivery kitchens in central London, with up to 10 sites expected to launch before the end of the year. 

"The demand for convenient delivery solutions means we must look for opportunities beyond our traditional restaurant formats, especially in dense urban areas," said Abigail Pringle, Wendy's chief development officer.

"This partnership with Reef is testimony to our ambitions, the potential we see to grow our beloved brand and our quest to reach more customers in more ways."

Wendy's previously operated around 10 restaurants across the UK, including high-profile sites on Shaftesbury Avenue and Oxford Circus. However, it made the decision to leave in 2000, surrendering its leases in order to concentrate on its domestic North American market.

It launched its first UK restaurant for more than 20 years in Reading back in June, and has previously laid out plans to eventually open 400 sites across the country.

Further sites in Oxford and East London are set to launch in the coming months, with a total of five Wendy’s restaurants expected to open before the end of the year.