One Fast Food Giant Is Closing 140 Locations- Will New York Ones Close?

One popular fast-food restaurant, with several locations in Central and Upstate New York, will be closing 140 locations by the end of the year.

According to CNN, Wendy’s is closing 140 restaurants before the end of 2024, but the company said it would open an equal number of new locations in areas it believes can generate better business for Wendy’s:

The restaurants targeted to close are “outdated and located in underperforming” areas, Wendy’s CEO Kirk Tanner said on an earnings call Thursday, adding that their financial performance are “well below the system average.” The company didn’t provide a list of locations slated to close. Tanner said that “it’s not one particular area.”"

If any New York locations close to home are closing, we will update this story immediately.

One Upstate New York Pizza Chain Abruptly Closes One Location

For fans of Blaze Pizza in New Hartford, the restaurant is no longer open in Consumer Square. Shoppers will find this note posted on the door:

Google has the location listed as temporary closed, but the note clearly states permanently closed. Blaze Pizza of New Hartford officially opened for business Wednesday, October 23rd 2019. So this location was open for just over 5 years. Blaze still has locations in Dewitt and Albany.

One Of Many Closures

JoAnn Fabrics, Bed Bath & Beyond, Rite Aid, Big Lots, and Walgreens have all closed up over the course of the year. Esprit, the clothing brand that began in 1968, will disappear from America. The company filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which differs from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Chapter 7 is a liquidation process, while Chapter 11 is a reorganization process.

Applebee's announced dozens of restaurant closures across the country earlier this year. Red Lobster filed bankruptcy and closed nearly 100 restaurants across the country, including 10 in New York. TGI Friday's closed nearly half of its restaurants in the U.S. over the past 10 years. Declining sales, 15% in the last year alone, and four CEO changes since 2023 are to blame. Five restaurants shut down in New York at the beginning of the year. Three more closed  in the past month. The TGI Fridays inside Destiny USA in Syracuse remained open. That was until Thursday, October 24 when it abruptly shut down without warning.