Wendy’s burger chain plans 400 UK outlets

America’s second largest burger chain is returning to the UK after 20 years, hoping to steal a slice of a marketplace dominated by McDonald’s and Burger King.

Wendy’s, famous for its square burgers, plans to open up to 400 outlets, creating at least 12,000 jobs.

It hopes the UK will be a springboard for growth in the rest of Europe.

A statement said: “The UK launch will spearhead a European-wide expansion as Wendy’s looks to build on strong growth on the other side of the Atlantic, where the brand last year dethroned Burger King to become the No 2 player in the US hamburger market.”

The company’s plan to open 400 stores would still make it much smaller than McDonald’s, which has 1,300 UK outlets.

Wendy’s, which has also agreed a delivery deal with Uber Eats, left the UK complaining of high operating costs.

The first restaurant will open next month, in Reading, followed by Stratford and Oxford, and the company said there will be new items on the menu tailored to the British market, including more vegetarian options.

Abigail Pringle, Wendy’s chief development officer, said in media interviews over the weekend that with the UK burger and takeaway market growing the time was right for a return.

The chain was founded in 1969 in Ohio by Dave Thomas and now has 6,800 outlets.

He named the restaurant after his fourth child Melinda Lou “Wendy” Thomas. It is listed on Wall Street with a valuation of £3.6billion.

Wendy’s left the UK in 2001, citing property costs and other overheads that made expansion unviable.