Is the McDonald’s man the one who will save Wendy’s?

From McDonald’s to Wendy’s: the fast-food chain is betting on Tarek Hassan, a former senior executive at the competing chain, in the hope that he is the one who will lead it on a new path. Closing hundreds of branches, the CEO left, and sales are collapsing: what happened to the fast-food chain?

Hassan was appointed to a new position created specifically for him: Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer. In his new role, Hassan will report to the brand’s President and CEO Bob Wright and will be a member of the senior management team of the veteran burger chain. His challenge will be particularly difficult: the network has closed hundreds of branches in recent years, replaced senior managers with high frequency, and consistently recorded losses.

"Tarek’s appointment is another significant step in returning Wendy’s to profitable growth," Wright said in a statement released to investors. "He is a proven brand and team builder, with a unique ability to connect culture, technology, and consumer insights to drive measurable growth. He has proven the impact that highly effective marketing, digital activation, menu innovation, and culturally relevant brand engagement can have on restaurant performance and customer loyalty. He will be a key factor in identifying and developing talent and building new capabilities in the organization to help Wendy’s return to its place as the quality leader in the fast-food industry."

Hassan is taking on the task of reversing the downward trend in the brand’s sales. The chain reported a 7% decline in same-store sales in the US in the last quarter. The chain’s staff hopes he will bring the same achievements he recorded at McDonald’s, where he led some of the most successful campaigns of recent years. Among other things, he was responsible for celebrity meals such as the Travis Scott Meal, the adult Happy Meals Cactus Plant Flea Market, and the viral campaign of the Grimace Shake — a birthday for the old purple character.

He took the position immediately, as part of a broad management shake-up and comprehensive reorganization that the Wendy’s chain has been carrying out in recent months. Hassan will effectively centralize the areas of advertising, media, digital strategy, and customer experience under his leadership. The goal of CEO Wright in all these changes, which he defined as a "five-step plan," is to shift the chain’s focus from cost-cutting and discounts back to upgrading food quality, improving branch operations, and strengthening digital.

"Wendy’s is an iconic American brand that has something special that most brands spend decades trying to build — a real point of view that our customers truly feel," Hassan said in his entry statement. "My focus will be on reigniting that passionate connection to our brand, so that it is expressed more powerfully in every experience, everywhere our fans meet us."