On 19 November, Thursday, Nasdaq-listed fast food restaurant chain Wendy’s, a firm that Dave Thomas founded in 1969, will open again in Italy with the support of Your Food, a holding that Mario Resca (the former chairman and ceo of McDonald’s Italia) heads and groups a pool of Italian investors and entrepreneurs, ItaliaOggi reported on 2 Novembre, Monday, The first restaurant will open inside the Euroma2 shopping centre in Rome, whilst a standalone restaurant will be in Milan’s Duomo district in early 2027. The plan then calls for just under ten further openings ahead of a target of 170 restaurants by 2035.
Further shareholders of Your Food are Metis, the holding of Corrado Passera, the former ceo of Intesa Sanpaolo and founder of illimity Bank, Milan-listed PIPE investor First Capital (30.2%), Venus (23.7% – a vehicle of Stefano Core, the former ceo of Balich Wonder Studio – fka WSCorp), and BGenera (23.7% – Buglisi Family). In May 2026, Passera paid one million euros for a 20% of Your Food ciascuno e Resca al 2,5% (si veda qui retail&food). Bgenera is the owner of EdS Infrastrutture.
Your Food holds a licence to develop the Hard Rock Cafe brand in Sicily, in partnership with local investors.
The Italian holding announced the exclusive franchising agreement with Wendy’s in July 2026 (press release).
On 28 October, Thursday, Wendy’s said it attracted a 7,35 US Dollars per share unsolicited non-binding cash acquisition proposal from Trian Fund Management, the firm of activist investor Nelson Peltz, that pooled with Flynn Group, BlueFive Capital and Sixth Street Partners. The bid’s equity value amounts to 1.4 billion, Reuters reported (press release).
Trian and its backers already own 16.3% of Wendy’s.
