Wendy’s Permanently Closes Two Locations in Kalamazoo

As Kalamazoo loses two Wendy's locations, concerns are growing statewide. Afterall, Wendy's founder Dave Thomas spent his early years growing up in Kalamazoo and was even inspired to start his own burger chain after working at a beloved Kewpee Hamburgers downtown near Burdick and South.

Although Thomas' time in Kalamazoo was brief, it clearly left a major impact on him, and eventually the entire nation! What does the future of Wendy's in Michigan look like?

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Fun Fact: The first Wendy’s franchise in Michigan opened in Kalamazoo in 1974. Its operator, William Van Domelen, later founded the popular Michigan-based Hot ’n Now chain.

My, how times have changed-- Hot 'n Now is making a return, having opened their first new location in over 20 years in Wayland, MI last year, and now Wendy's plans to close up to 350 underperforming stores.

Sadly, we can now confirm two Wendy's locations in Kalamazoo County have been affected by this most recent round of closures.

I was scrolling through social media when a post from my local Kalamazoo Facebook group caught my eye:

Why did the Wendy's on Gull Rd close? Scared of the Chick filet opening??? -- Sonja V.

I had to do a double-take and make sure I was reading the post correctly because sadly, that's my Wendy's! On those days I was consumed by work and needed to make a quick run for lunch the Gull Road Wendy's was my go-to. Things always got chaotic during the lunch rush, but I was always greeted by friendly staff, and I learned to know their faces and names, and now I'm sitting here hoping Wendy's has helped them find work at other nearby locations-- but are those going to close soon too?

According to a quick internet search both the Gull Road and 9th Street Wendy's locations have permanently closed. A Wendy's representative confirmed to MLive the 9th Street Wendy's closed Dec 30, 2025 adding,

Employees at the location were offered opportunities to stay on with other area Wendy’s, the representative stated...A specific reason for the...store’s closure was not immediately given, but Wendy’s did announce in November 2025, that it would be closing between 200 and 350 restaurants across the U.S.