Meritage Hospitality launches nearly 400 Wendy’s locations on Upside after successful pilot

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 2, 2026 – Meritage Hospitality Group has expanded its pilot with Upside into a national partnership, scaling the platform across 367 Wendy’s locations nationwide following strong, measurable results during an initial trial.

The rollout spans key markets including Jacksonville, Memphis, Grand Rapids, Atlanta, Hartford, and Oklahoma City, reflecting Meritage’s confidence in Upside’s ability to drive incremental demand and repeat visits without eroding margins — a critical challenge for QSR operators competing on value.

“Upside was able to clearly prove what was incremental and directly attributable to the program,” said Peter Brandenburg, Senior Financial Analyst at Meritage Hospitality Group. “That level of measurement and our ability to validate using our own data supported our decision to expand the partnership across hundreds of locations.”

Upside helps restaurant operators attract new diners and deepen engagement with existing customers at scale. More than half of Upside-driven transactions come from new-to-site diners, expanding reach beyond a restaurant’s existing customer base. Among returning customers, Upside doubles monthly visit frequency, reinforcing repeat behavior and creating long-term value.

“We’re proud of what the pilot delivered and excited to build on it,” said Ryan Gaylor, VP of Retailer and Channel Partnerships at Upside. “Upside is built to scale efficiently across large restaurant footprints, allowing us to drive even greater impact as partnerships expand.”

Upside and Meritage Hospitality will co-host a webinar on February 11, 2026, exploring how Upside helps stores generate incremental profit with measurable, data-backed results. To join, visit: try.upside.com/meritage-webinar

Upside’s national platform reaches more than 35 million consumers and connects them with personalized cash back offers at over 100,000 grocery, restaurant, and fuel locations, delivering $2.5 billion in incremental profit to retailers and $1 billion in cash back to consumers. Grocery retailers can learn more about partnering with Upside, by visiting upside.com/business/restaurant. 

ABOUT UPSIDE

Upside is a digital marketplace that connects millions of consumers with brick-and-mortar retailers nationwide. Since 2016, Upside’s personalized offers have empowered individuals to gain greater purchasing power for their essential needs while helping businesses achieve measurable profits. Billions of dollars in commerce run through the Upside platform annually, directly benefiting retailers, consumers, and sustainability initiatives. For more information, visit www.upside.com.

ABOUT MERITAGE HOSPITALITY GROUP

Meritage Hospitality Group is one of the nation’s premier restaurant operators, currently with 365 restaurants in operation located in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Meritage is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, operating with a workforce of over 10,000 employees. For more information, visit www.meritagehospitality.com.