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Wendelta Property Holdings LLC operates the Wendy's in New Bremen, along with around 220 other Wendy's across the country.
ST. MARYS - One of the country's leading Wendy's restaurant franchisees was granted a conditional use permit by the St. Marys Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday night to construct a "dine-in, carry out, drive thru restaurant" just off of Indiana Avenue.
City officials were not able to confirm if the quick-serve restaurant that's set to go in at 1210 Indiana Ave. will be a Wendy's. However, permit applicant Wendelta Property Holdings LLC operates more than 220 Wendy's restaurants across the country, including those in New Bremen and Van Wert, per its website.
Wendelta is a subsidiary of a Memphis, Tennessee-based restaurant and hospitality business called Carlisle. Through that division, Carlisle plans to construct a 2,000-square-foot dine-in, carryout and drive-thru restaurant on a vacant lot on Indiana Avenue at an estimated cost of $1.4 million.
"We welcome any new developments in our community," city safety service director Greg Foxhoven said of the incoming eatery following Wednesday's zoning board of appeals meeting.
All zoning conditions were met in Wendelta's proposal, except for a required 40 parking spaces (29 were proposed); a required 8-foot front yard setback from the right-of-way of Indiana Avenue (a 4-foot front yard setback was proposed); and a 40-foot front yard setback (a 15-foot front yard setback was proposed). The conditional use permit was unanimously approved.
Leading Wendy's franchisee Wendelta Property Holdings LLC is set to construct a "dine-in, carry out, drive thru restaurant" in St. Marys
The development comes a little over six months after the abrupt closure of the Celina Wendy's at 544 E. Market St. in late May.
That closure coincided with the chain's plans to close 100 restaurants over the summer on top of the 240 U.S. restaurants it had already closed in 2024. At that time, Wendy's said that many of the 55-year-old chain's restaurants were simply out of date.
The Dublin, Ohio-based fast food chain said in a Nov. 7 conference call with investors that it planned to continue closing underperforming restaurants in the fourth quarter of this year.
Ken Cook, Wendy's interim CEO, said during the November call that the company believes closing locations that are underperforming - whether it's from a financial or customer service perspective - will help improve traffic and profitability at its remaining U.S. restaurants.
"When we look at the system today, we have some restaurants that do not elevate the brand and are a drag from a franchisee financial performance perspective. The goal is to address and fix those restaurants," Cook said during the November conference call.
No further details on the proposed fast food restaurant planned for 1210 Indiana Ave. were shared by press time.
The Ohio-based Duchess chain operates about 120 stores across Ohio and West Virginia.
Picture via Duchess
In other business on Wednesday, the St. Marys Zoning Board of Appeals also approved a conditional use permit for the construction of a Duchess convenience store and gas station at the former site of a Rite Aid pharmacy at 1502 Executive Drive.
The Ohio-based chain was founded in 1975 by the Englefield Oil Company. The company owns and operates about 120 Duchess convenience shops and gas stations across Ohio and West Virginia.
The stores - open 24-hours, 365 days a year - feature wide-ranging menus that include fresh coffee and fountain beverages, hot breakfast foods, made-to-order sandwiches, house-made subs and wraps, stuffed biscuits, fresh salads, pizza, snacks and sides along with a variety of sweet treats, according to their website.
"We're excited two businesses have found St. Marys as their next destination," Mayor Joe Hurlburt Jr. said following Wednesday's meeting. "We think they're going to be great assets to our community."
The former Rite Aid pharmacy in St. Marys is set to be demolished to make way for a Duchess gas station and convenience store.
The old Rite Aid structure will be demolished to construct the 4,000-square-foot Duchess store. It will include an asphalt lot, curb, drainage, lighting and a fuel canopy, estimated at $4 million.
Craig Van Horn of Wachtel & McNally Architects said at Wednesday's meeting that the new store will take up less of a footprint than the existing structure.
"I would say I'd like to start with (the project in the) spring," Van Horn said. "We have 120 stores throughout Ohio. Our headquarters is just east of Columbus. We just opened one in Lima five months ago. We plan on being a very good neighbor."
The St. Marys Rite Aid was one of at least 30 locations in the Midwest to close in 2024 due to Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.
Rite Aid announced in October on its website that all of its stores have since closed. The company said in May that it was seeking bankruptcy protection and would look to sell substantially all of its assets.
It initially filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2023 after struggling with debt and posting annual losses for several years.
-The Associated Press contributed to this report.
