Meritage Hospitality Group, a Grand Rapids, Michigan-based restaurant operator with Wendy’s locations in Ohio and 14 other states, announced Friday that it plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company operates 314 Wendy’s restaurants, making it one of the fast-food chain’s largest franchisees. Meritage said the restructuring is intended in part to strengthen its balance sheet and address financial pressure tied to its restaurant business. For customers and workers at the company’s Ohio locations, Meritage said operations are expected to continue as usual during the bankruptcy process. The company did not announce additional closures and said its restaurants will continue serving customers while employees remain central to the business. “Because the substantial majority of Meritage’s restaurant portfolio operates under Wendy’s brand, those system-wide pressures have had a significant impact on the Company’s financial position,” Meritage said in a news release. The filing follows the company’s announcement in May that it would close 60 locations as part of an effort to improve its 2026 performance. Meritage also owns one Bojangles restaurant and five locations operating under independent brands, but those businesses have not offset the challenges facing its Wendy’s portfolio. Wendy’s has reported declining same-store sales for six consecutive quarters, while rising beef prices have added to costs across the industry. Those pressures have compounded broader challenges for restaurant operators, including higher labor and operating expenses and consumers’ growing sensitivity to menu prices. Meritage’s Wendy’s restaurants are located in Arkansas, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. A Chapter 11 case generally allows a company to keep operating while it develops a plan to restructure its debts and finances. The company did not provide a timeline for the restructuring. Wendy’s corporate office had not issued a statement as of Friday’s announcement.