Win for the Community - Wendy’s Withdraws Application to Sell Alcohol

The Salvation Army and the community of Hornby has been engaged in a strong fight since November 2015 to prevent Wendy’s Hamburgers from successfully gaining a local licence to sell alcohol in its Hornby restaurant from8am to 11pm, 7 days a week.

A petition containing hundreds of local signatures in opposition was submitted to the District Licensing Committee and community groups, churches, locals, and national health and social justice groups rallied to air their objections. The application was due to go to a hearing before the District Licensing Committee at the end of May where The Salvation Army Hornby was preparing to give strong evidence in opposition. The Salvation Army today received news that the application by Wendy’s had been withdrawn.

Captain Eric Turner, Director of The Salvation Army Hornby has expressed his delight at the withdrawal.

“I am extremely happy with the result. This is such a win for the local community. Nothing positive would have come of the local Wendy’s selling alcohol in Hornby. We already have too many outlets selling alcohol and enough challenges from alcohol-related harm. This is a wonderful sign of opposition.

I hope that other communities around New Zealand can take heart and muster up the same spirit in opposing any future applications."

Wendy’s has expressed that it remains committed to obtaining alcohol licences for its family restaurants.

Salvation Army Social Policy and Parliamentary Director Ian Hutson said that this position of Wendy’s suggests that the bigger fight is not over.

“Wendy’s openly used this application as a test case to “up their” game as a brand. We are delighted that the opposition from the community and input from the local Health Inspector, Police and Licensing Inspector blocked this from succeeding in Hornby. A success would have created a damaging precedent for other fast food outlets to apply around New Zealand. Fast food should not equal fast alcohol. However Wendy’s are clearly still committed to testing this in other places around the country.

Low income communities like Hornby and South Auckland have significantly higher concentration of fast food outlets like Wendy’s and of venues selling alcohol. The availability of alcohol has been proven to have a direct connection to perpetuating alcohol-related harm and the misuse of alcohol can cost (including social cost) New Zealand up to $5.3 billion annually and around $700 million each year in direct expenditure. We consider the potential for vulnerable communities experiencing a further increase in alcohol outlets because of this disproportionate availability as unjust.”

ENDS

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