Water is a necessary part of any foodservice business, from preparation to cleanliness and sanitation to heating and cooling needs. Wendy’s is committed to making smart reductions in the amount of water it takes for our restaurants to operate and innovating better ways to use our resources where we can.
Wendy’s joined the Department of Energy’s Better Buildings® Water Savings Network in 2019. In 2021, Wendy’s achieved our goal to reduce water use in U.S. Company-operated restaurants and the Restaurant Support Center (RSC) by 20% compared to a 2018 baseline.
We are also proud to have two franchise organizations, which represent more than 150 restaurants, participating in the Better Buildings Water Savings Network. In 2021, Wendium, one of our franchisees, also surpassed this target by achieving a 31% reduction.
Wendy’s has been converting to new automated dishwashing equipment that reduces the average water use for dishwashing by 47% per cycle. Nearly 1,000 of these warewash units have now been installed at Company-owned and franchise locations. Thanks to these upgrades, the total annual water reduction is more than 84,000 kGallons per year—enough water to fill more than 7,700 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
We have completed a system-wide water risk assessment of our Company-operated and franchised restaurants using the World Resources Institute’s Water Risk Atlas tool. Through this assessment, we learned that approximately 40% of Wendy’s restaurant locations, across 18 different countries, are in areas projected to have extremely high- or high-water stress by 2040. Approximately 85% of these sites are located in the United States. We will continue to work with our franchisees to identify water efficiency improvements.
When irrigation is needed for landscaping, it is important that the systems operate properly and efficiently to minimize water waste. In 2023, Wendy’s completed a five-year pilot at 25 Company-operated restaurants in Florida to test smart irrigation systems that react to weather and soil conditions to adjust the amount of water they use. Since then, the program has grown to 86 restaurants across three states in 2025, resulting in a 47% water use reduction and 54% cost savings at those sites.
Building off our previous water risk assessments of direct (Tier I) beef suppliers’ operations, we assessed our direct suppliers of pork, chicken, eggs, tomatoes and lettuce and leafy greens. As part of Wendy's responsible sourcing program, we ask suppliers to take action and provide insights on into their water use. Our efforts to improve soil health through supply chain collaboration may also help reduce water consumption and improve water quality.
