Wendy’s eyes South Melbourne, Dandenong South in Victoria

Wendy’s recruitment drive flags South Melbourne and Dandenong South as likely early targets as the US burger chain pushes deeper into Melbourne. Picture: Liam Kidston

A gritty industrial heartland and a high-visibility inner-city strip have emerged as the surprise front lines for Wendy’s Victorian rollout.

Fresh recruitment ads have pointed to Dandenong South and South Melbourne as likely targets for the chain’s next Baconator outposts.

Colliers Melbourne retail expert Nathan Brown said Dandenong South stood out as an obvious commercial play for the fast-food giant.

“From a commercial real estate point of view, Dandenong South is a no-brainer,” Mr Brown said.
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“It’s one of Melbourne’s biggest industrial precincts.

“You’ve got a huge concentration of workers, tradies, logistics and warehousing, exactly the customer base quick-service restaurants, brands target for strong weekday and lunchtime trade.”

Seek job ads for Wendy’s restaurant leadership roles in South Melbourne and Dandenong South point to those suburbs as likely early Victorian locations, though the company has not confirmed where stores will open.

A Wendy’s job ad on Seek lists Dandenong South, a major industrial precinct that could suit a high-volume weekday drive-through.

A Seek listing for Wendy’s roles in South Melbourne points to an inner-city, walk-in style location rather than a drive-through.

For now, the only Melbourne-area Wendy’s with a confirmed street address is the Bayswater North site at 154-156 Canterbury Rd, on the corner of Dorset Rd, where signage was accidentally revealed last year.

Beyond that location, no additional Victorian sites have been formally confirmed.

There were also whispers the US burger chain could land at Manor Lakes, but that chatter has cooled after the next expansion plans for the Manor Lakes Park Hub did not include the brand.

Wendy’s Bayswater North site at 154-156 Canterbury Rd, on the corner of Dorset Rd, is the only Melbourne-area location with a confirmed street address.

The US fast-food brand, backed locally by master franchisee Flynn Restaurant Group, has built momentum after opening its Queen St Brisbane store, following earlier launches in Queensland.

Mr Brown said South Melbourne would be a far tougher fit for a drive-thru and more likely to support a walk-in model if a site proceeded.

“South Melbourne, I honestly wouldn’t know where a drive-thru would realistically fit,” he said.

“Land values are so high it would be extremely expensive to build new, unless it’s an in-line store.”

“By in-line, I mean a walk-in format, a shopfront on a strip like Clarendon St. I’d be very surprised if a drive-through was being built there.”

Attention has also turned to the Bayswater North site, the only Melbourne-area address tied publicly to the chain so far, which has shown little visible progress since branding appeared.

Wendy’s signage and branding as the US fast-food chain builds its Australian rollout and eyes more Melbourne locations. Picture: Liam Kidston

Mr Brown said when branded sites went quiet after signage was installed, delays were more often linked to development issues than tenant decisions.

“More often than not, it comes down to the developer or builder, financing issues, staging delays, or problems progressing the next phase of construction,” he said.

He said access mattered more than headline build costs.

“If someone drives past your site and can’t turn in, the chances of them looping back are slim,” Mr Brown said.

An industry source said the contrast between South Melbourne and Dandenong South showed how unforgiving the Melbourne market could be for new international entrants.

Inside Wendy’s Queen St Brisbane store, a walk-in model that could suit an inner-city rollout if South Melbourne proceeds. Picture: Liam Kidston

“South Melbourne matters because it’s a high-visibility inner-city test where competition is dense, rents are premium, and customers have endless alternatives within a few blocks,” the source said.

“Dandenong South is the opposite kind of proving ground, a huge industrial catchment on key arterials, where weekday trade is heavy and the drive-through model either runs clean or gets exposed fast.”

“If the offer isn’t clear, the pricing doesn’t feel sharp or the experience isn’t consistent, people don’t complai, they just go elsewhere.”

Wendy’s, backed locally by master franchisee Flynn Restaurant Group, is ramping up recruitment as it expands in Australia.

Flynn Restaurant Group’s Australian corporate headquarters is based at 658 Church St in Richmond, placing any inner-city rollout, including a potential South Melbourne site, close to the group’s local operational base as it scales up in Victoria.

Flynn has previously flagged an aggressive national expansion, even as Wendy’s US business has faced store closures as part of a broader reset.

Wendy’s has been contacted for comment.

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