Wendy’s lovers, rejoice! The famous American fast food chain is opening a 24-hour drive-thru in Southport as part of the expansion of Wendy’s in the UK. While the region already has two Wendy’s restaurants with drive-thrus, the Southport branch will be the first to be open 24/7.
The new American fast food joint could be located at Southport’s Kew Retail Park after submitting a planning permission, replacing the car wash facility.
The application was submitted on December 24, 2025 by Leicester-based Custodian Property Income REIT Plc, with the consultation stage commencing on Thursday, February 12.
The planning statement said: “Drive-thru facilities predominantly cater for vehicle-borne customers such as commuters and leisure travellers who require convenient refreshment and rest during their journey, rather than visiting as a destination in its own right.
“The site lies within Kew Retail Park, a location specifically designated under Policy ED2 of the Sefton Local Plan as suitable for retail, leisure, and other town centre uses. As such, the proposed food retail and drive-thru unit aligns with the intended function of this area.”
“The proposal will directly create a range of jobs, both permanent and temporary. Temporary jobs will be created through the construction of the new drive-thru restaurant with associated servicing/parking areas and the fit-out of the store by the tenant.
“Once operational, permanent jobs will be with an employer which prides itself on providing a well-trained workforce. When operating on a 24-hour seven-day-a-week basis, the operator will employ between 30 and 40 full and part-time employees, including Management and Team member roles.”
Although the planning application does not mention Wendy’s by name, one document amongst the 20 uploaded to Sefton Council’s web portal does appear to give the game away. In the ‘odour risk assessment’ document, submitted by a company called Chapman Ventilation, the client is listed as ‘Wendy’s’.