Dive Brief:
- Wendy’s has hired Pete Suerken for the role of president, U.S. on Tuesday, replacing Abigail Pringle, who is leaving the company effective Aug. 15, according to an 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Pringle is leaving the company to pursue other opportunities, according to a press release. She served as Wendy’s U.S. president since June 2024, following more than two decades in various roles at the brand.
- Suerken joins Wendy’s leadership at a moment of C-suite upheaval. CEO Kirk Tanner defected to Hershey earlier this month after a tenure of roughly 18 months. Tanner was replaced on an interim basis by CFO Ken Cook, a former UPS exec who has only been with the chain since December.
Dive Insight:
Suerken’s appointment is an indication the brand is searching for stability. Despite technically being an outside hire, Suerken has extensive knowledge of Wendy’s system. He served as president and CEO of its independent purchasing cooperative, Wendy's Quality Supply Chain Co-op, since 2021, according to the press release. In that position, Suerken led supply chain and distribution operations for Wendy’s restaurants around the world.
Suerken will focus on the chain’s U.S. priorities, which include “delivering exceptional customer experiences, increasing restaurant-level profitability and accelerating growth,” Cook said.
Suerken also spent more than a decade at Yum Brands’ purchasing co-op, Restaurant Supply Chain Solutions, according to the press release.
Cook said Pringle “has been a key leader of restaurant development at Wendy's, including our Image Activation journey and creation of the modern restaurant image for the brand. She transformed our International business and put a solid structure in place to optimize restaurant performance in the U.S.”
The executive changes come at a difficult moment for the brand, and for QSRs overall. In October, Wendy’s announced a plan to shutter about 140 underperforming restaurants, and the chain’s same-store sales fell 2.8% in the U.S. in Q1.
But that conceals a fairly steady performance for the chain. Wendy’s has seen positive comps growth in seven of the last eight quarters — though that growth was often small — while McDonald’s and Burger King both posted multiple negative quarters in the same timespan. And the chain is making tech changes to boost its speed of service and restrain labor costs by deploying drive-thru voice artificial intelligence at 500 restaurants this year.
