Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – Thursday, October 09, 2025: Wendy’s Project Fresh Strategy: When OPEX Becomes the Driver of Change.

Điểm Tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) Mỗi Ngày – Thứ Năm, Ngày 09/10/2025: Chiến Lược Project Fresh Của Wendy’s: Khi Operational Excellence Trở Thành Động Lực Thay Đổi.

Welcome to my unique weekday article for the paid subscriber-only edition.

Operational Excellence (OPEX) Daily Briefing – issued on weekdays (Monday to Friday).

Điểm tin Operational Excellence (OPEX) hằng ngày (phát hành các ngày thứ Hai đến thứ Sáu).

This is the bilingual post in English and Vietnamese. Vietnamese is below.

Đây là bài viết song ngữ Anh-Việt. Tiếng Việt ở bên dưới.

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English

1: Official Announcement

On October 9, 2025, Wendy’s – one of the largest fast-food chains in the United States – officially announced a new strategic plan called “Project Fresh.” This is considered a major step toward revitalizing the brand, as Wendy’s faces intense competition from giants such as McDonald’s, Burger King, and KFC, along with a wave of emerging next-generation fast-food chains rapidly expanding their presence.

According to the official statement, Project Fresh is not just a short-term marketing campaign but a comprehensive plan built around three core objectives:

1. Enhancing customer experience – covering service speed, food quality, and in-store atmosphere.

2. Optimizing operational efficiency – reducing waste in kitchens, standardizing workflows, and improving staff productivity.

3. Boosting system-wide profitability – through small but continuous improvements that accumulate into significant results.

Notably, Wendy’s is not promising grand gestures such as opening thousands of new stores or launching flashy new product lines. Instead, the company is emphasizing the idea of “refreshing every small experience” – from the way employees greet customers, to how ingredients are prepared in the kitchen, and how order counters are run.

In the fast-food industry, it is often these seemingly minor details that make the difference. A tasty burger alone is no longer enough; customers also expect shorter wait times, greater comfort, and a consistent experience every time they return.

The message Wendy’s is sending to the market is clear:

• Innovation is not something you do once and stop.

• You don’t need billion-dollar projects to prove change.

• Small improvements, if sustained, can accumulate into a major transformation.

For this reason, Project Fresh quickly drew the attention of the business community. Instead of relying on flashy advertising campaigns or short-term discounts to grab market share, Wendy’s signaled that it is betting on the strength of sustainable operations – something that can create long-term competitive advantage in a volatile market.

With this move, Wendy’s seems to be telling its customers: “Come back, and you’ll notice every experience has been improved, bit by bit.” And to its competitors: “We will not win with a single knockout blow, but through thousands of small, steady, and persistent steps forward.”