Spring Hill's Wendy's on Columbia Pike appears unaffected by the largest Wendy's franchisee filing for bankruptcy. The local restaurant is listed under a different franchise group.
Meritage Hospitality Group, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 protection on Sept. 17 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Michigan. The company operates 314 Wendy's restaurants across 15 states and employs about 9,000 people, Williamson Source reported.
Court documents list 24 Meritage-operated Wendy's in Tennessee, according to the Associated Press. A separate Wendy's franchise termination complaint names 34 Tennessee locations, a difference that may reflect stores Meritage closed before filing. The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported all locations in that complaint are in West Tennessee, concentrated around Memphis.
None are in Middle Tennessee.
The Spring Hill Wendy's at 4924 Columbia Pike is listed on Wendy's careers website as a Vestco franchise location. Vestco was founded by Dennis and Blaine Sumler in Lexington, Tennessee, and operates restaurants across West and Middle Tennessee. That listing dates to 2019, and current ownership has not been independently confirmed.
The filing came one day after Wendy's corporate entity, Quality Is Our Recipe LLC, terminated Meritage's franchise agreements. Wendy's claims Meritage owes $27.4 million in royalties and fees, with a total claim of roughly $146.9 million including continuous operations fees, according to court filings cited by MassLive.
Heidi Schauer, Wendy's vice president of communications, told the Commercial Appeal on Sept. 23 that the company does not expect disruptions. "At this time, we do not anticipate a disruption to restaurant operations," Schauer said.
Meritage said in a press release it expects to maintain operations during the restructuring and continue paying employees wages and benefits, subject to court approval. The company is seeking debtor-in-possession financing to maintain liquidity.
The bankruptcy follows steep financial losses. Meritage CEO Bob Schermer Jr. told investors in June that store-level earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) fell 48% in 2025, CNBC reported. The company's filing cited an 18.9% increase in beef costs, driven by record-high U.S. beef prices and tariffs on South American imports. Meritage closed about 60 underperforming locations before the September filing.
Chief restructuring officer Kevin Cleary reported the company held roughly $725.9 million in assets against $651.2 million in liabilities as of summer 2026.
A final hearing on Meritage's initial bankruptcy motions is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 14, before Judge James W. Boyd. A creditors' meeting is set for Monday, Oct. 26.
