AM I NEXT? IS THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL AT WENDY'S?

Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain, is undergoing an "organizational overhaul" and potential staff reductions.

Of course, changes are being driven by its largest shareholder and activist investor, Trian Fund Management, headed by Nelson Peltz.

Peltz is known for demanding board positions, changing executives, slashing staff, increasing dividends, stock buy-backs, and "exploring strategic alternatives," (a code phase for sale or merger).

According to an SEC filing...

"Nelson Peltz, Chief Executive Officer and a Founding Partner of Trian Fund Management, L.P., Wendy’s largest shareholder, and Wendy’s Non-Executive Chairman, said, “Trian believes strongly in the future of Wendy’s, is confident in the Company’s growth plans and is strongly supportive of the capital allocation strategy announced today.” Mr. Peltz continued, “Trian believes that the Company is well-positioned to deliver significant long-term value for shareholders and looks forward to continuing to work with the Board and leadership team to do so.”

The Company announced today that it intends to embark on a broader redesign of its organizational structure. The redesign will be made in an effort to better support the execution of the Company’s long-term growth strategy by maximizing organizational efficiency and streamlining decision-making. As a result of the redesign, the Company anticipates its 2023 and 2024 G&A will be relatively flat versus 2022, despite elevated inflationary pressures. The Company remains committed to driving accelerated growth across its three strategic pillars of building its breakfast daypart, accelerating its digital business, and growing its global footprint.”

Wendy’s plans to determine further organizational changes in the next 45 days to help reduce costs and boost its efficiency.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT GOPUFF

OCTOBER 20, 2022 — 1,500 LAYOFFS AND MORE OUTSOURCING

The company is continuing an internal restructuring leading to a 10% reduction in its global headcount, which will impact about 1,500 workers.

According to a company spokesperson, “The most recent impacts to the customer service team were part of this reorganization which we’ve been implementing for the last three months.”

Driver support team members and customer service representatives have seen their positions outsourced to the Philippines.

According to the human resources manager for the customer service team, Jon Bushnel, “As you may be aware, the customer experience team has been undergoing a reorganization with a focus on supporting the broader business strategy and optimization to support our customers. One of the results of this focus is the elimination of certain positions within the team. I regret to share that your temporary position has been impacted by this reorganization and your role has been eliminated, effective immediately.”

AUGUST 1, 2022 — Original post…

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based GoPuff, a consumer goods and food "fast" delivery company, has announced that it is closing 76 U.S. micro-fulfillment warehouses and distribution centers and laying off 10% of its global workforce.

The layoffs will impact about 1,500 employees.

According to a company spokesperson, “These shifts are not only accelerating our timeline to profitability, they are taking us back to our roots of keeping profitability at the core of every decision. As part of our efforts to remove overhead and drive operational efficiencies, we have made the incredibly challenging decision of reducing our global workforce by 10%. While difficult, this restructures us to align more closely around business priorities while accelerating our path to profitability.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT CHOWNOW

Culver City, California-based ChowNow, an online food ordering platform that connects customers with local restaurants, has announced a major cost-cutting initiative.

Approximately 100 employees were impacted across the onboarding, operations, and sales teams.

According to a company spokesperson, “We, like every company, plan our annual budgets far ahead of the upcoming year. The budget we planned for 2022 was large and ambitious. Since then the economy and capital markets have changed, and so it’s prudent that we adjust as well."

"We made the difficult decision to lay off team members this week. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and they will receive our full support during this time of transition. These actions are never taken lightly, but we believe they are necessary in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of the company and our commitment to supporting local restaurants.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?