Wendy’s ‘Global Next Gen’ Design Puts Digital at the Forefront

The Wendy’s Company unveiled its new global restaurant design standard: Global Next Gen. 

Starting this fall, Wendy’s new traditional restaurant builds will feature a sleek, modern design that enhances customer, crew and digital experiences, Franchising.com reported. The optimized layout and next-generation technology are expected to emphasize convenience, speed and accuracy.

"We must consistently meet the needs of our customers however they choose to engage with Wendy's, whether that's through a digital platform or in the drive-thru," said Wendy's President and CEO Todd Penegor. "Global Next Gen enhances the customer experience across ordering channels and streamlines operations for our crew, all while creating better returns for franchisees."

Photo credit: Wendy’s

Abigail Pringle, Wendy’s chief development officer and president of the international division, wrote in a blog post that franchisees, as well as all the brand’s divisions, contributed to the new design.

“Franchise leaders from the U.S., Canada and around the world have provided input on the concept, allowing us to refine the design along the way,” Pringle said. The first Global Next Gen restaurant is expected to open in New Albany, Ohio, in Spring 2023. 

New features will include: 

• A dedicated delivery pick-up window and delivery parking to provide convenience to delivery drivers who previously needed to enter the delivery room to grab orders. This is also designed to move traffic away from the drive-thru line.  
• A reimagined kitchen that features a galley-style kitchen, running from the front to the back of the restaurant. This design allows for better point-of-sale efficiency and allows the crew to move between positions easier throughout the day.
• Optimized infrastructure such as more efficient lighting/ HVAC to decrease energy usage and costs.
• Next-generation technology that allows restaurant teams to handle significantly more digital business than before.
• Dedicated mobile order pickup, including mobile order parking and pick-up shelving in-restaurant. Customers can select a pick-up time when placing their mobile order, park in a dedicated mobile order parking spot and grab their meal off the shelving.

Photo credit: Wendy’s

Dedicated mobile order pickup will be especially important. A survey from Bluedot found that there has been a continued rise in mobile ordering and revealed that, though consumers are generally happy with mobile restaurant apps, there has been a growing frustration regarding mobile pickups — long wait times, in particular. Nearly half of consumers even indicated that they are likely to delete a restaurant app if their food is received cold. 

"As we turn the corner on the pandemic, mobile app usage continues to soar, and the center of gravity is returning to the customer. Restaurant brands will begin to ease their focus on operational strategy in favor of initiatives that provide fast and seamless mobile pick up," said Judy Chan, Bluedot CMO. “Across six studies, consumer demand for convenience has stood out as a key theme. Delivering that level of convenience will win brand loyalty.”