A West Palm Beach Wendy’s that has perched on busy South Dixie Highway for at least a decade served its last Frosty this month.
Although signs taped to the windows of the Wendy’s at 7925 S. Dixie say the fast-food restaurant is closed temporarily, a corporate spokesman confirmed that it’s a permanent shutdown, with the location already scrubbed from Wendy’s website and logos of the smiling ponytailed redhead removed from the building.
The restaurant is on property of the aging Palm Coast Plaza, which was bought in 2022 by Johnstone Capital Partners for $24.7 million. The 65-year-old mall is one of the oldest in the county. Johnstone made a preliminary move with the city in 2023 to get a small scale land-use designation change to allow residential development in the future.
A representative from Johnstone Capital said there are currently no redevelopment plans for the vacated Wendy’s property.
To the south of the plaza at 8111 S. Dixie Hwy, a venture to add 358 apartments and a boutique grocery store is underway. Patrick Koenig, co-founder of Flagler Realty & Development, which is building the eight-story apartment complex, said he didn’t know why the Wendy’s closed. He said a healthy food option where Wendy’s was would be a good addition to the area considering The Park golf course is just to the west and potential new development at the plaza.
“I’m disappointed it closed,” said Barry Levine, a frequent customer of the Wendy’s. “The workers were there for a long time. The manager could be a little brash, but I’m from New Jersey, so I can take it.”
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There are five other Wendy’s locations in West Palm Beach.
In a statement, a Wendy’s representative said it was announced in late October during a quarterly earnings call that some restaurants would close after a “strategic review of our global system.”
“We conducted a robust review of individual restaurants to ensure they meet our expectations for sales, have the profitability to fuel growth, and deliver the Wendy’s brand experience for customers,” Wendy’s President and CEO Kirk Tanner said during the call. “Following this review, I have made the strategic decision to close additional restaurants this year that are outdated and located in underperforming trade areas.”
Wendy’s, which was founded in 1969, has more than 7,100 locations worldwide.
“The brand is incredibly healthy, and we remain on track to meet our goal of 250-300 new restaurant openings for the year,” the statement said.
