10 November 2019 - Udenna Corporation, through its food group subsidiary, Eight-8-Ate Holdings, Inc., takes a bigger bite of the burgeoning restaurant industry with its full acquisition of all 51 Wendy’s® restaurants in the Philippines, becoming the master franchisee of Wendy’s in the country. This deal is UDENNA’s latest venture in the highly competitive food and restaurant sector following its acquisition of Enderun Colleges, Philippine FamilyMart, and Conti’s Bakeshop and Restaurant.

Eight-8-Ate also operates and manages Conti’s Bakeshop and Restaurant.

“Food is a basic need and Filipinos love to eat. We want to be in industries where there is growth and we will continue to expand our footprint in the restaurant space by offering quality, affordable dining out options,” says Udenna Chairman and CEO, Dennis Uy.

“The Philippine food service industry is growing at a phenomenal rate. The booming population, strong economic performance, rising incomes, increasing demand for convenience, and cuisine curiosity will continue to drive this growth for years to come. Eight-8-Ate wants to take a sizable bite of the opportunity, “ states Joey Garcia, Eight-8-Ate’s  President and CEO.

Home of the famous square hamburgers, natural-cut sea salt fries, and signature Frosty® Dessert, Wendy’s is known for its high quality, wholesome food, freshly prepared when you order it. 

“Wendy’s is distinguished by 50 years of delivering exceptional restaurant experiences. Including, a quick meal made from fresh, high quality ingredients, served by friendly people in a comfortable atmosphere, and at a fair price.  As we embark on our next 50 years, we are focused on accelerating growth across the globe and we are excited to bring Wendy’s to even more valued customers in the Philippines through our partnership with UDENNA and Eight-8-Ate,” shares Abigail Pringle, President, International and Chief Development Officer at The Wendy's Company. 

In appreciation of the new partnership, Abigail Pringle presents Dennis Uy with a special token from The Wendy’s Company  

during a store visit at Wendy’s PITX in Parañaque City.  

Now under UDENNA’s Eight-8-Ate, more restaurants are expected to open in key cities and provinces as part of an aggressive expansion plan. UDENNA also commits to elevate through Eight-8-Ate the customers’ dining experience through an enhanced core menu, launch of local signature  products, and a reimaged restaurant design.

“Wendy’s brings strong synergies with our existing business portfolio. Our rich experience in supply chain management and operations excellence puts us in a great position to further scale the Wendy’s brand locally. We look forward to building on their success as we continue to uplift the customers’ dining experience and drive long-term growth,” Garcia further states.

“Eight-8-Ate’s tagline is ‘Delighting Generations’.  As two reputable brands that have been around for a long time, it is serendipitous that Wendy’s mission to ‘Delight Every Customer’ aligns with Conti’s ‘Delightfully Yours ’ slogan. With these two brands under Eight-8-Ate, we aim to capture not  just a bigger share of stomach, but moreover, bigger share of delight,” adds Uy. 

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About the Company

Incorporated on March 19, 2002, Udenna Corporation is at the helm of the diversified business interests of the Udenna Group in oil, gas and retail through Phoenix Petroleum (PSE: PNX); shipping and logistics through Chelsea Logistics and Infrastructure (PSE: C); gaming and hospitality through PH Resorts Group Holdings (PSE: PHR); property development and management through Udenna Land; education through Gruppo Enderun; food through Eight-8-Ate; infrastructure development through Udenna Infrastructure; and telecommunications through DITO Telecommunity. 

Udenna now employs over 9,000 personnel and is expected to create thousands more jobs for Filipinos in the next five years. Now in its 17th year, Udenna continues to move aggressively and help propel the Philippine economy while enhancing the lives of Filipinos.