Hungry Jack’s founder Jack Cowin has questioned how rival burger franchise Wendy’s will differentiate itself in its planned expansion into Australia, while pointing out that he first saw off the competitor in the 1980s.

Wendy’s international and chief development officer Abigail Pringle told The Australian Financial Review last week that the NASDAQ-listed burger giant – the world’s third-largest after McDonald’s and Burger King – was in talks with potential master franchisors in Australia, with a view to eventually branding “hundreds” of restaurants here.