If you’re a homesick American looking to enjoy a Frosty or Baconator while in Europe, you’ll quickly learn that Wendy’s isn’t present anywhere in the EU. If you’re in the Netherlands, however, you may stumble upon Wendy's Fish & Chips in the city of Goes, the shop that has kept Wendy’s franchises out of the EU for decades.

In the 1980s, Wendy had stores in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, but shuttered them; in 1995, Dutch businessman Raymond Warrens trademarked the name "Wendy's" for his own restaurant, named after his daughter. Since 2000, American Wendy's has tried to sue "Dutch Wendy's," but neither Warrens nor the Netherlands' courts have budged.

Since the Netherlands is a part of the EU, Warrens’ claim covers every other country in the union, but following Brexit, American Wendy's set up its first shop in England in 2021, in the town of Reading. Though the UK is no longer part of the EU, Wendy’s could use England as a jumping-off point into the rest of Europe when the time is right.

Wendy’s may also try breaking into untapped markets using delivery-only ghost kitchens, which will allow them to reach customers in cities where rents are high and a physical restaurant space is not very affordable. American Wendy's may have lost the Battle for Europe to Wendy's Fish & Chips, but the company could make a comeback using new allies.