A little over a year ago, I walked into a Wendy’s. Three employees stood chatting while ignoring me—their only customer. I tried twice to get their attention. When they didn’t respond, I waved goodbye and left. I haven’t returned since.

I came across a news story yesterday about one of Wendy’s largest franchises filing for bankruptcy. That said, I’m not entirely surprised. Based on my own experience with their customer service, it appears they may have prioritized other customers.

I came across an article today attributing their difficulties to beef prices. While that’s likely a contributing factor, it hardly accounts for the full picture. Other establishments in the industry are thriving despite the same market conditions.

I do wonder how the other franchises are doing.

A fundamental business truth: no matter how exceptional the product, success remains impossible without adequately solid service. I also observed that seven locations operate in Mississippi, while twenty-four are situated in Tennessee. I suspect several of these fall within the Memphis/DeSoto County region—essentially, my local area. Whenever I drive past one nearby, they appear notably vacant these days. I passed the one just off I-55 recently and observed no activity whatsoever. It strikes me as peculiar, given its proximity to the interstate.

I’m not convinced Dave, the company’s founder, would endorse this direction. Under his leadership, the service was exceptional. This follows a familiar pattern, unfortunately. Numerous businesses have declined once ownership transferred to the next generation.