Since our system announcement at the end of January, there has been a lot of activity in getting the Wendy’s Franchise Association up and running. Here is a brief summary of our last couple weeks and a short recap of the recent meeting of the steering committee.

First, it’s official! We have formally incorporated as The Wendy’s Franchise Association. We are incorporated in Minnesota, due to the franchise laws in that state.

Board and Officers Announced

Since we are officially incorporated, we needed to begin building our board. As previously communicated, the seven members of the Steering Committee will begin as board members. We are beginning the process of setting up the remainder of the board. We will have 13 total board members, including one from Canada. The current board members are:

  • Mike Zak, Chairman
  • Jay Sutherland, Vice-Chair
  • Chris Lane, Secretary/Treasurer
  • Steve Adkins
  • John Antonaccio
  • John Peters
  • Eddie Rodriguez

The first board will be appointed, and we will begin election cycles in 2020. Several members of the Steering Committee (now the board) are
primarily interested in launching the WFA successfully and are not planning to stay on the board long-term.

Legal Representation

The board voted to engage Ron Gardner of Dady and Gardner as our   attorney. Ron has a great deal of experience with franchise associations. We invited Ron to our meeting to present his views and we were very impressed.

Budget and Dues

We have established a rough budget and have set our dues structure. Our fiscal year will run from July 1 to June 30. After considering other association's fee structure and our desire to have 100% participation, we felt that $150 per restaurant is the right amount. Our intention is to offer a robust list of member benefits that far exceeds that amount!

Membership Campaign

As stated previously, the franchise association is an independent, self-funded entity. We will begin a member recruitment campaign in March. There will be special recognition for those who help launch the WFA and join between March and convention. More information on memberships to come very soon. If you have questions in the meantime, contact us at membership@wendysfranchisees.com. We’ve heard from many owners who are interested in being part of the association, and we look forward to having you join us!

Your Response

The response we have gotten to the initial system communications has been extremely positive. We have heard loud and clear that the Restaurant Economic Model and Communication are core issues that we need to be focused on in all our work. Our goals for our first year will put a very heavy emphasis on these two areas.

Future Updates

We will have a presence at the convention. Between now and then, we will continue to send you updates and information. Our emails will come from
@wendysfranchisees.com so you know what to look for and that it’s a trusted source. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we are looking forward to serving the franchise system, for the betterment of all owners and to strengthen this brand.

Keeping the Culture Strong

One thing that the Wendy's Franchise Association will always do is focus on our Culture. As we sit here in our 50th year, we have a growing population of franchise owners who were not influenced directly by Dave...but our job is to make sure that his legacy and influence NEVER gets lost. You can expect that the WFA will be grounded in Dave's Values and will be helping new and successor franchisees understand our culture and legacy in a way that the Brand cannot!

Thank You

We want to thank all the franchisees who’ve expressed interest in the association in the past few weeks. Our franchise system will benefit from a unified voice and a strong collaboration with the brand to work on issues, in good times and tough times! We will be an Independent, Collaborative and Transparent organization serving the system and we cannot do it without you!

If you have any questions, please contact one of the board members or at questions@wendysfranchisees.com.