Kiwis have world-record appetite for burgers - again

A new Wendy’s restaurant in Hamilton has set a new record by achieving the most sales in its first week of any Wendy’s anywhere in the world. Wendy’s NZ CEO Danielle Lendich said the Frankton store served more than 10,000 customers with over 20,000 burgers in its first week and broke the hourly sales record by $300, the daily record by $6,000 and the weekly record by $12,000 – up 6.7 percent on the previous titleholder. All were achieved within standard trading hours following the store’s opening on 11 July.

This follows the news that a Carl's Jr. store which opened on Henderson's Lincoln Rd in November 2012 also reported a world record for that brand. The Carl’s Jr. outlet turned over almost $180,000 in its first week of operation, a new high for the company, which operates in over 20 countries.

Although McDonald's is currently turning its attention to the baked goods market with Georgie Pie, the latest figures from Wendy's and Carl's Jr. reinforce claims that, despite appearances, the New Zealand market for burgers is still not saturated.  Wendy’s New Zealand restaurants are traditionally top-performers for the chain ­- its Palmerston North outlet set a new record when it opened in December last year, with Christchurch and Tauranga also having held the title. Wendy’s has over 6,700 restaurants in over 25 countries. Before New Zealand’s reign, Wendy’s stores in the Bahamas held the first-week sales record.

Head of U.S. parent Wendy’s Company CEO Emil Brolick sent a special message congratulating the Frankton restaurant team. ‘These are phenomenal sales figures and they speak to the potential of the Wendy’s brand. Great food and great service have universal appeal around the world. Thank you for the motivating results.’

Frankton is Wendy’s first restaurant in Hamilton, costing Wendy’s more than $2 million and creating a total of 40 new jobs for locals. A second is scheduled to open in Te Rapa in late November, with new restaurants in Whangarei and Christchurch bringing the total in New Zealand to 22 by the end of the year.  All Wendy’s stores are operated by the Lendich family under master licence and the company does not sub-franchise individual units to other operators.

A report published in July 2013 by the Restaurant Association and the Auckland University of Technology suggested that takeaway sales have risen by 25 percent over the last four years, with annual spending now topping $1.5 billion. In total, New Zealanders spent almost $7 billion on dining and socialising last year, the report says.

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