The Austin restaurants were sold to HAZA Foods LLC, which also operates 31 Wendy's restaurants in the greater Houston market and three in Waco/Temple, Texas. Ali Dhanani is president and CEO of HAZA Foods.
The restaurants in Sacramento were sold to Desmond Foods LP — a Wendy's franchisee since 1973. Desmond also operates 17 Wendy's restaurants in Fresno along with seven in the San Francisco area. Craig Horn is president and CFO of Desmond Foods.
"Ali Dhanani and Craig Horn are terrific operators with a strong customer orientation," said Emil Brolick, Wendy's president and CEO said. "Both of their organizations understand the importance of operational excellence, have a strong balance sheet and are fully committed to restaurant reimaging. We know their teams will work diligently to further accelerate the growth of the Wendy's brand in their respective markets."
Wendy's has announced the sale or an agreement to sell restaurants in Kansas City, Mo., Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, Seattle and St. Louis. The agreements include specific plans to renovate certain restaurants in Wendy's contemporary Image Activation restaurant design. They also include development plans for new restaurants.
