Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. said Tuesday that turnaround plans for Wendy’s include the delay of a systemwide breakfast introduction until 2011, as the chain retools its offerings with product tests in just three markets.
Speaking at the seventh annual Cowen & Co. consumer investment conference in New York, company chief executive Roland Smith said Wendy’s missed the mark on its foray into breakfast and will now research and test new menu items and marketing strategies in Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Phoenix.
After years spent attempting to launch a breakfast platform, Wendy’s also will reduce the number of locations serving breakfast from the current 850 restaurants to between 450 and 475 units. After the new products tests and evaluation of the daypart’s returns, Wendy’s targeted a nationwide breakfast rollout in 2011.
