Wendy's to add 15 drive-thru stores in Australia

Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria are the chain's priority markets.

Flynn Group plans to open more than 15 Wendy's restaurants with drive-thrus in Australia in the next two years as it accelerates an expansion targeting 200 stores over the next decade.

"Convenience is a huge part of the category, and I think customers are very familiar with drive-thrus," Richard Wallis, Asia-Pacific president at Flynn Group, told QSR Media Australia.

“We see interaction with our customers and the drive channel playing a huge role, and it will be an outsized part of our asset strategy moving forward,” he added.

The expansion follows the opening of Wendy's first purpose-built drive-thru restaurant in Dandenong South, Victoria, a converted site in one of the state's fastest-growing corridors.

Wallis said Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria would remain the chain's priority markets. Wendy's operates three restaurants in Australia and has more sites under construction that are scheduled to open before year-end.

The company is pursuing multiple development formats, including converted quick-service restaurant sites, ground leases, and cold, warm, and hot-shell properties.

“What's important for us is the quality of the location versus the type of lease,” he said via Zoom. “We've been very lucky and very fortunate to find some great sites.”

Wallis said Flynn Group's scale as the world's biggest quick-service restaurant franchisee has helped it secure locations by strengthening its position in negotiations with landlords.

He said kitchen design, rather than the drive-thru itself, would determine how well restaurants perform.

“Drive is actually not about how well you build the drive-thru,” he said. “It's about how well that kitchen supports speed of service, accuracy, and quality.”