Meme Stock Traders Drive Share Surge for Wendy's

On June 24, 2026, shares of fast-food chain Wendy's (WEN) surged by nearly 26%, closing at $7.86 after a significant increase during the trading day. Earlier in the week, the stock dropped to a low of $6.08, but traders rallied around it on the Reddit forum WallStreetBets, urging fellow investors to prevent the company from going bankrupt.

A post titled "We need to save Wendy's" gained over 18,000 upvotes, emphasizing the dire state of the franchise's stock and its steep decline over the last five years. The post stated, "If this company goes bankrupt, we’ll all be out of a job!" Such messages resonate with traders similar to those who previously organized around GameStop.

This surge in interest coincides with trading volumes skyrocketing; over 203 million shares of Wendy's changed hands on that day, in stark contrast to its typical daily volume of less than 10 million shares—a staggering increase of about 1,970%. However, despite this daily surge, WEN shares are down 36% over the past year and 66% over the last five years, according to data from Yahoo Finance.

In addition to rallying around purchasing shares, many WallStreetBets users have begun showcasing their trades and investments in Wendy's options, betting on a future increase in price. The excitement around Wendy’s has also led to the stock becoming the most discussed asset on financial social platform StockTwits, illustrating the significant buzz generated by retail investors.

The situation continues to unfold, as traders are keeping a close watch on Wendy’s performance going forward. It remains to be seen whether this new wave of popularity will provide any lasting momentum for the company or if it will return to its previous downtrend.