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Staff post about: Dave Thomas Become an Author

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In early 1969, Thomas was sitting in the steam room of the Columbus Athletic Club with his friend Len Immke, sharing with him his restaurant ideas. After finding the Club’s dining room closed, Immke commented on how difficult it was to find a good lunch downtown and suggested that Thomas open his own restaurant in one of Immke’s buildings. On November 15, 1969, Thomas did just that and opened the first Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers in Columbus, Ohio to a packed grand opening.

Thomas had tried all five of his children’s names for the restaurant, but decided on his daughter Melinda Lou’s nickname – Wendy. With a menu of juicy hamburgers, meaty chili, French fries, soft drinks and a frosty dairy dessert, Thomas’ restaurant was a hit. It was so successful that in 1973, Thomas began to franchise his idea. In the first 100 months of the company’s existence, over 1,000 restaurants popped up across the country. Thomas’ vision of an old-fashioned, homey place for families to enjoy fresh hamburgers together had finally been realized.

In 1989, Wendy’s marketing executives initiated the Dave Thomas Campaign, which would soon propel the company even farther ahead. Because of his honesty and down-to-earth style, Thomas was chosen as the face to use for promotions. After all, who else could speak more passionately about the restaurant than its founder? After he starred in a few television commercials, there was no looking back. Appearing alongside such celebrities as Kristi Yamaguchi and Susan Lucci, Thomas was a hit. Advertising critics and consumers alike loved the ads and restaurant sales promptly increased.

Despite his success, Thomas was plagued with the fact that he had never received his high school degree. He would speak to high school students and corporate executives alike but all the while was ashamed of never having graduated. “We have 4,000 restaurants today, but if I had gotten my high-school diploma, we might have 8,000,” Thomas would say. And so, at the age of 60, Thomas went back to school. He hired a tutor and earned his high-school equivalency certificate from Coconut Creek High School in Ft. Lauderdale. He was also voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by his classmates and was named Prom King and Queen, along with his wife, Lorraine.

As Dave’s success and fame continued to skyrocket, he began to feel the need to contribute back to society. He wrote an autobiography, entitled Dave’s Way, to “tell people about my mistakes and what they should avoid.” He also published a book on success called Well Done! and the business book, Franchising for Dummies. Proceeds from all of his books were then directed to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a non-profit organization he established in 1992 to raise awareness about adoption and make it easier and affordable.

Thomas died in 2002 after a decade-long battle with liver cancer, but his legacy lives on in the form of his business and his philanthropy. Today, over 6,600 Wendy’s restaurants worldwide continue to prosper and embody the values of their founder.

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