The Wendy's at 7569 Poplar Avenue in Germantown has sat shuttered, but its Memphis-based franchisee has a plan to bring it back — with new windows, tile, an exterior canopy, and a relocated drive-thru window. The proposal, aimed at satisfying the city's strict design rules for the corridor, went before Germantown's Sketch Plan Committee on August 20.
The presentation came from Wendelta, the Wendy's franchise arm of Memphis-based Carlisle Corp., which acquired the closed Germantown store along with an East Memphis location in June from previous owner Meritage Hospitality Group, according to WhatNow. Meritage had originally intended to shut the properties down for good, but Wendelta stepped in to take them over instead, as reported by The Daily Memphian.
Wendelta's plan for the Poplar Avenue site, presented as a revised final layout, calls for new exterior accents and paint, new wall tiles, new windows, and a new canopy over the building. The drive-thru window is also being relocated as part of the overhaul. The changes are also meant to bring the property in line with the SmartGrowth Small Area Plan, with pedestrian-friendly streetscape improvements factored into the design.
A Rough Reputation Before the Shutdown
Before it closed, the Poplar Avenue location had built a reputation as one of the worst-performing Wendy's outlets in the Mid-South, according to local commentary cited by The Mighty 990. That track record helps explain why the franchisee is starting essentially from scratch rather than simply reopening the doors. The store sits near Saddle Creek and is one of two Wendy's locations in Germantown, alongside another restaurant further east at 9197 Poplar Avenue, per MyFoodNear.
Wendelta operates more than 220 Wendy's restaurants across 11 states, generating more than $265 million in annual revenue, according to Carlisle Corp. The company describes itself as an award-winning franchisee that leans on Wendy's founder Dave Thomas's five core values for operational excellence, per the Wendelta website. Chance Carlisle, the company's CEO, said earlier this year that turning the Germantown site around would take an eight- to 12-month planning and permitting process, with a customer-ready reopening targeted for summer 2027.
Why Germantown's Design Rules Matter Here
The Sketch Plan Committee is a pre-application subcommittee of Germantown's Planning Commission, meeting on the third Thursday of each month to review preliminary architectural and land-use proposals before they head to formal commission hearings, according to the City of Germantown. That means Wendelta's design still has further steps ahead of it — full Planning Commission and Design Review Commission approvals will be required before construction permits can be finalized.
Those hurdles trace back to Germantown's 2007 Smart Growth Plan and its form-based SmartCode zoning ordinance, which regulates building design, driveways and pedestrian streetscapes along commercial corridors like Poplar Avenue. The rules explain why Wendelta's proposal leans so heavily on exterior finishes and walkability features rather than just interior updates.
A Family Business With Deep Wendy's Roots
Carlisle Corp.'s fast-food operations trace back to Gene Carlisle, who opened his first Wendy's in 1972 and later received Wendy's International's Founder's Award in 2004 for operational excellence, according to the Society of Entrepreneurs. The company has grown through large multi-unit acquisitions over the decades, including a 2018 deal that added 46 Wendy's locations across Alabama and Florida, per PR Newswire.
Beyond fast food, Carlisle Corp. is also a major commercial developer in the Memphis area, leading the $400 million, 5.5-acre One Beale multi-hotel and residential riverfront project downtown. For now, though, Germantown residents will have to wait through the coming months of permitting and hearings before the Poplar Avenue Wendy's reopens its doors.
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