Dave Thomas (businessman) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dave Thomas
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Thomas in 1998
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| Born |
Rex David Thomas
July 2, 1932 |
| Died | January 8, 2002 (aged 69) |
| Burial place | Union Cemetery Columbus, Ohio, U.S |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1953–2002 |
| Known for | Founder of Wendy's |
| Spouse(s) | Lorraine |
| Children | 5, including Wendy |
Rex David Thomas (born July 2, 1932 – died January 8, 2002) was an American businessman. He was also a philanthropist, meaning he gave money to good causes. Dave Thomas is best known as the person who started Wendy's, a popular fast food restaurant that sells hamburgers.
He was the main boss, or chief executive officer, of Wendy's. From 1989 until 2002, Dave Thomas appeared in over 800 TV commercials for Wendy's. This is more than any other company founder in TV history!
Contents
Dave Thomas's Early Life
Rex David Thomas was born on July 2, 1932, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was adopted when he was a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas. As an adult, he became a strong supporter of adoption. He even started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to help children find loving homes.
When he was five, his adoptive mother passed away. His father then moved around the country looking for work. Dave spent some of his childhood near Kalamazoo, Michigan, with his grandmother, Minnie Sinclair. He often said she taught him how important it was to be kind and respectful to others. These lessons helped him a lot in his future business life.
First Jobs and School
At age 12, Dave Thomas got his first job at Regas Restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee. He lost this job after a disagreement with his boss. He promised himself he would never lose another job again. Years later, that same restaurant proudly displayed a signed poster of Dave Thomas.
By age 15, he was living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and working at the Hobby House Restaurant. When his father decided to move again, Dave chose to stay in Fort Wayne. He left high school to work full-time at the restaurant. Dave later said that dropping out of school was the biggest mistake he ever made. He didn't get his high school diploma, called a GED, until 1993.
Because of his own experience, Dave became a big supporter of education. He started the Dave Thomas Education Center in Coconut Creek, Florida. This center helps young adults get their GEDs.
Dave Thomas's Career Journey
Serving in the U.S. Army
When the Korean War started in 1950, Dave Thomas was 18. Instead of waiting to be drafted, he joined the U.S. Army. He wanted to have some say in what he would do. Since he had experience with food, he asked to go to the Cook's and Baker's School.
He was sent to West Germany as a mess sergeant. This meant he was in charge of making meals for 2,000 soldiers every day. He rose to the rank of staff sergeant. After leaving the Army in 1953, Dave went back to work at the Hobby House in Fort Wayne.
Starting in Fast Food
Working with Kentucky Fried Chicken
In the mid-1950s, Colonel Sanders, who started Kentucky Fried Chicken, came to Fort Wayne. He wanted to find restaurants that would sell his fried chicken. Dave Thomas and the Clauss family, who owned the restaurant where Dave worked, first said no. But Colonel Sanders kept trying.
Eventually, the Clauss family decided to open KFC restaurants. Dave Thomas worked closely with Colonel Sanders. He helped make KFC more successful and well-known. Dave suggested that KFC should have fewer items on its menu. He thought they should focus on their main dish: fried chicken. He also suggested that Colonel Sanders himself should appear in the TV commercials.
In the mid-1960s, the Clauss family sent Dave to Columbus, Ohio. Four of their KFC stores there were not doing well. By 1968, Dave had made these four restaurants so successful that he sold his share back to Colonel Sanders for over $1.5 million. This experience taught him a lot, which was very helpful when he started Wendy's a year later.
Founding Wendy's
Dave Thomas opened his very first Wendy's restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, on November 15, 1969. This original restaurant stayed open until 2007.
He named the restaurant after his eight-year-old daughter, Melinda Lou. Her nickname was "Wendy." Dave later said he regretted naming the restaurant after her. He felt it put too much pressure on her. He said, "I should've just named it after myself."
In 1982, Dave Thomas stepped back from running Wendy's every day. But by 1985, the company was having some problems. Their new breakfast menu wasn't popular, and their advertising wasn't working well. The company's new president asked Dave to get more involved again.
Dave started visiting Wendy's restaurants and encouraging everyone to work hard. In 1989, he became the main person in Wendy's TV commercials. At first, he wasn't a natural actor. Critics said his performances were stiff.
But by 1990, the advertising team decided to show Dave in a more friendly and funny way. This was a big hit with audiences. People started to recognize Wendy's again, just like when Clara Peller starred in the famous "Where's the beef?" commercials in 1984.
Dave's relaxed and humble style made him a household name. In the 1990s, he was in every Wendy's commercial. A company survey found that 90% of Americans knew who Dave Thomas was. He played a huge part in making Wendy's the third most popular burger restaurant in the U.S.
Starting The Wellington School
In 1982, Dave Thomas and other business people started The Wellington School in Upper Arlington, Ohio. They spent three years planning, raising money, finding a place, and hiring teachers and students.
The school opened with 137 students. It was the first independent school in the Columbus area that taught both boys and girls. The first class graduated in 1989.
Dave Thomas's Personal Life
Dave Thomas was a Christian. He was married to Lorraine Thomas for 47 years. They had five children: Melinda (Wendy), Pam, Lori, Molly, and a son named Kenny. After Kenny passed away in 2013, his sisters continued to own and manage several Wendy's restaurants. In 1978, Dave also started a restaurant chain called Sisters Chicken and Biscuits, named after his other three daughters.
His Passing
Dave Thomas had been sick for about ten years. He passed away at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on January 8, 2002. He was 69 years old. He was buried in Union Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio. When he died, there were over 6,000 Wendy's restaurants open in North America.
Awards and Recognition
In 1979, Dave Thomas received the Horatio Alger Award. This award recognized his great success with Wendy's, which had reached $1 billion in sales that year.
In 1980, he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.
Dave knew that his success, even though he dropped out of high school, might make other teenagers think it was okay to quit school. He believed this was a mistake. So, he went back to school himself at Coconut Creek High School. He earned his GED in 1993. In 1999, Dave Thomas was added to the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.
Like his former boss, Harland Sanders, Dave Thomas was given the honorary title of Kentucky colonel.
After his death, in 2003, Dave Thomas was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can receive in the United States.
Dave Thomas was also a Freemason. He achieved a high rank within the organization.
In Washington, D.C., there's a small area of streets and traffic that people unofficially call Dave Thomas Circle. This is because a Wendy's restaurant and its parking lot have been there for a very long time.
Images for kids
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Thomas in 1998
