Wendy's Top General Manager Awards

The fries are crisping in the fryer. The fresh, juicy hamburgers are on the grill. Wendy’s® team members dash around the drive-thru area, taking orders and filling Frosty cups.

Customers walk through the doors and can’t help but smile. The atmosphere is fun and energizing.

There is so much that happens behind the scenes to delight every Wendy’s customer, and our restaurants could not operate without the leadership of our General Managers (GMs). They are the glue that holds their teams together. The logistical wizards who set the tone for operational excellence. The keepers of their restaurant’s culture.

Our GMs are essentially small business owners who are responsible for everything you see at a Wendy’s restaurant – and the things you don’t see, like staffing, training, hiring, maintaining food costs and ensuring recipes are properly followed. No matter the obstacle, they address it.

GMs are also Wendy’s brand ambassadors in their communities. Little Leagues, religious functions, serving first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic – if Wendy’s is involved, it’s under the leadership and guidance of the local restaurant GM.

They deserve special recognition, which is why Wendy’s is proud to have recently announced our Top GMs from 2019, representing regions around the world. These are the best 200 of the more than 6,800 GMs in our global restaurant system.

Our Top GM Conference is one of our most highly anticipated system events of the year and we usually host an in-person celebration at our Restaurant Support Center in Dublin, Ohio. However, due to COVID-19 and heightened restrictions around mass gatherings, we held a virtual event this year. It was important that we still celebrate these GMs in a safe and special way to honor their leadership, performance, dedication to operational excellence, and continued service to the Wendy's brand.

Members of our Senior Leadership Team virtually recognized the Top 200 GMs by name, and all Top GMs will receive a special recognition package in the mail. Restaurant teams around the globe hosted watch parties to hear their GM’s names called, and all Top GMs were encouraged to stand in recognition, as we would have done in person.

This year, GMs were recognized through six award categories:

• - Top Sales Performers
• - Highest Customer Count Growth
• - Highest Overall Satisfaction Scores
• - Lowest Turnover
• - Speed of Service
• - Repeat Winners

These categories help us identify the best of the best – the relentless performers who have found a way to consistently grow their restaurant business year after year while also connecting deeply with their communities.

We acknowledge repeat winners of the Top GM award, because it’s an incredibly difficult achievement. It also sets the tone and vision for other GMs.

Our Top GMs ensure our restaurant teams operate at a high level, which keeps our restaurants operating at a high level for you – our customers. Little else is as important to the success of our brand.

Their title might be “General Manager,” but our Top GMs are really our Wendy’s heroes.

And for that, we thank them.