US burger chain Wendy’s will begin opening restaurants in Ireland next year.

The fast-food giant, which has been eyeing the Irish market for nearly two years, has announced the signing of a new development agreement with franchise operators in Ireland.

The American brand has over 7,000 outlets worldwide and is best known for its made-to-order square hamburgers.

In a statement, the company said it would begin opening restaurants in Ireland early next year.

Wendy's fast food hamburger restaurant in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Image: Allen Creative / Steve Allen / Alamy

Wendy’s International President E.J. Wunch said: “We are continuing our journey to become a brand of increased global significance and Europe is a high-priority, strategic growth market to expand Wendy's presence internationally.”

“To accelerate our momentum, we are focused on building relationships with franchisees who share our ambition to grow and scale Wendy's restaurant footprint across the continent,” he said.

Wendy's Europe

Wendy’s has also announced a development agreement for Romania and the company said the two deals will support its plans to develop hundreds of restaurants across Europe over the next decade.

It said it is “actively recruiting well-established franchisee candidates” across Europe – noting that it is looking for “franchisees with strong operations experience, local development expertise, and a proven track record of growing brands at an accelerated pace”.

The move into Ireland comes four years after Wendy’s broke into the UK market – where it now expects to have 50 restaurants by the end of the year.

The company eventually aims to open around 400 restaurants across the UK.

"Exciting time"

Wendy's Europe Managing Director Michael Clarke said is “an exciting time” for the company.

“Brand fans and customers continue to ask us, ‘Where is Wendy's opening next?’” he said.

“We are ready to answer the demand by bringing more Wendy's to more people – putting our fresh, high-quality and delicious food into the hands of European consumers where they live, work and play.”

Wendy’s is already open in more than 30 markets around the world.