Dive Brief:
- Wendy’s welcomed Sang Lee as its new VP of international technology in a Wednesday LinkedIn post. The company told CIO Dive Thursday that Lee joined earlier this month and reports directly to CIO Matt Spessard.
- The appointment comes as the fast food brand aims to better drive its international technology strategy and improve customer experience globally. Lee brings 20-plus years of transformation and modernization experience, according to Wendy’s, with stints at Giordano’s, TGI Fridays and Yum Brands.
- “I can’t wait to see your impact as we continue to grow our international footprint,” said Spessard, who moved to the CIO role last year, as he welcomed Lee in a LinkedIn post.
Dive Insight:
Wendy’s wants to beef up its footprint, laying out plans to open 1,000 restaurants globally over the next three years as part of a long-term strategy to build momentum and improve performance. Technology has a role to play in the efforts.
"In order to execute on our strategy, we are investing in building new restaurants around the globe and deploying technology that will enhance the customer experience and increase restaurant profitability," Wendy’s CFO and interim CEO Ken Cook said during its investor day in March.
Lee’s role could act as a bridge between the two initiatives.
“Sang is accountable for leading the charge to accelerate Wendy’s international technology strategy and roadmap, delivering smart tools and solutions to help the brand grow and win around the world,” the fast food brand said in a Thursday email to CIO Dive.
Wendy’s has already accelerated deployments of its drive-thru AI and digital menu boards and kiosks this year after initial trials proved successful. Digital menu boards are live at 300-plus locations, and voice-enabled AI order taking is available at nearly 100 locations.
“We are pleased with the results we are seeing in improving accuracy and driving labor efficiency,” former president and CEO Kirk Tanner said during a February earnings call. “Our execution in all of these areas drove a higher average check and provided labor efficiency that led to an 80-basis point improvement to our global company-operated restaurant margin compared to the prior year.”
Wendy’s continues to invest in technology and AI initiatives throughout this year despite broader challenges and headwinds. Capital expenditures during its latest quarterly earnings report in August included $10 million in technology investments.
“We will continue to invest in the resources and technology needed to deliver on our strategic priorities while tightly managing discretionary spending,” Suzie Thuerk, chief accounting officer at Wendy’s, said during the Q2 2025 call.
Meanwhile, global systemwide sales declined 1.8% during Q2 2025, with particularly lackluster results in the U.S. for the period ending June 29.
