Dave Thomas (businessperson)
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Rex David Thomas (July 2, 1932 – January 8, 2002) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and fast-food tycoon. Thomas was the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's, a
fast-food restaurant A fast-food restaurant, also known as a quick-service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food, fast-food cuisine and has minimal Foodservice#Table service, table service. The food served ...
chain specializing in hamburgers. In this role, Thomas appeared in more than 800 commercial advertisements for the chain from 1989 to 2002, more than any other company founder in television history.


Early life

Rex David Thomas was born July 2, 1932 in
Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.
. His biological father's name was Sam and his biological mother's name was Molly. Thomas was adopted between six weeks and six months later by Rex and Auleva Thomas, and as an adult became a well-known advocate for
adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...
, founding the
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a nonprofit public charity dedicated to finding permanent homes for children waiting in foster care in the United States and Canada. Created in 1992 by Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, who was adopted, the Fo ...
. After his adoptive mother's death when he was five, his father moved around the country seeking work. Thomas spent some of his early childhood near
Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
, with his grandmother, Minnie Sinclair, whom he credited with teaching him the importance of service and treating others well and with respect, lessons that helped him in his future business life. At age 12, Thomas had his first job at Regas Restaurant, a fine dining restaurant in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, then lost it in a dispute with his boss; decades later, Regas Restaurant installed a large autographed poster of Thomas just inside their entrance, which remained until the business closed in 2010. He vowed never to lose another job. Moving with his father, by 15 he was working at the Hobby House Restaurant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. When his father prepared to move again, Thomas decided to stay in Fort Wayne, dropping out of high school to work full-time at the restaurant. Thomas, who considered ending his schooling the greatest mistake of his life, did not graduate from high school until 1993, when he obtained a GED. He subsequently became an education advocate and founded the Dave Thomas Education Center in
Coconut Creek, Florida Coconut Creek is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. Situated north of Miami, it had a population of 57,833 in 2020. It is part of the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city seceded from ...
, which offers GED classes to young adults.


Career


U.S. Army

At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, rather than waiting for the draft, he volunteered for the U.S. Army at age 18 to have some choice in assignments. Having food production and service experience, Thomas requested the Cook's and Baker's School at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was sent to West Germany as a mess sergeant and was responsible for the daily meals of 2,000 soldiers, rising to the rank of
staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...
. After his discharge in 1953, Thomas returned to Fort Wayne and the Hobby House.


Fast food career


Kentucky Fried Chicken

In the mid-1950s,
Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken. It is the world's second-largest restaurant chain (as measured by sales) after McDonald's, with 2 ...
founder Col. Harland Sanders came to Fort Wayne, hoping to find restaurateurs with established businesses to whom he could try to sell KFC franchises. At first, Thomas – who was the head cook at a restaurant – and the Clauss family declined Sanders' offer, but Sanders persisted, and the Clauss family franchised their restaurant with KFC; they also later owned many other KFC franchises in the
Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...
. During this time, Thomas worked with Sanders on many projects to make KFC more profitable and give it brand recognition. Among other ideas for improvements, Thomas suggested that KFC reduce the number of items on its menu and instead focus on a signature dish; he also proposed that KFC make commercials in which Sanders would personally appear. Thomas was sent by the Clauss family in the mid-1960s to help turn around four of their failing KFC stores in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
. By 1968, Thomas had increased sales in the four fried chicken restaurants so much that he sold his share in them back to Sanders for more than $1.5 million. This experience would prove invaluable to Thomas when he began Wendy's about a year later.


Arthur Treacher's

After serving as a regional director for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Thomas became part of the investor group which founded
Arthur Treacher's Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips is an American fast food seafood restaurant and former chain. At the peak of its popularity in the late 1970s, it had more than 800 stores. However, as of June 2021, there is only one stand-alone Arthur Treacher's l ...
. His involvement with the new restaurant lasted less than a year before he went on to found Wendy's.


Wendy's

Thomas opened his first Wendy's in
Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...
, November 15, 1969. This original restaurant remained operational until March 2, 2007, when it was closed due to lagging sales. Thomas named the restaurant after his eight-year-old daughter Melinda Lou, whose nickname was "Wendy", stemming from the child's inability to say her own name at a young age. According to ''Bio TV'', Dave claims that people nicknamed his daughter "Wenda. Not Wendy, but Wenda. 'I'm going to call it Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers'." Before his death in 2002, Thomas admitted regret for naming the franchise after his daughter, saying "I should’ve just named it after myself, because it put a lot of pressure on er" In 1982, Thomas resigned from his day-to-day operations at Wendy's. However, by 1985, several company business decisions, including an awkward new breakfast menu and loss in brand awareness due to fizzled marketing efforts, led the company's new president to urge Thomas back into a more active role with Wendy's. Thomas began to visit franchises and espouse his hardworking, so-called "mop-bucket attitude". In 1989, he took on a significant role as the TV spokesperson in a series of commercials for the brand. Thomas was not a natural actor, and initially, his performances were criticized as stiff and ineffective by advertising critics. By 1990, after efforts by Wendy's advertising agency, Backer Spielvolgel Bates, to get humor into the campaign, a decision was made to portray Thomas in a more self-deprecating and folksy manner, which proved much more popular with test audiences. Consumer brand awareness of Wendy's eventually regained levels it had not achieved since octogenarian Clara Peller's wildly popular " Where's the beef?" campaign of 1984. With his natural self-effacing style and his relaxed manner, Thomas quickly became a household name. A company survey during the 1990s, a decade during which Thomas starred in every Wendy's commercial that aired, found that 90% of Americans knew who Thomas was. After more than 800 commercials, it was clear that Thomas played a major role in Wendy's status as the third most popular burger restaurant in the U.S. In 1994, Thomas made a cameo appearance as himself in ''
Bionic Ever After? ''Bionic Ever After?'' is a made-for-television science fiction action film which originally aired on November 29, 1994 on CBS. The movie reunited the main casts of the television series ''The Six Million Dollar Man'' and its spin-off ''The Bionic ...
'', a reunion TV movie based upon '' The Six Million Dollar Man'' and '' The Bionic Woman''.


The Wellington School

In 1982, Thomas and a consortium of entrepreneurs created and launched the first coeducational, independent school in Columbus --
The Wellington School The Wellington School (simply referred to as Wellington) is a PK–12 private, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Upper Arlington, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1982 by a group of entrepreneurs. It is a member of the Nat ...
-- in
Upper Arlington Upper Arlington, often known by its initials U.A., is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Old Arlington neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ...
, Ohio. These entrepreneurs were Ken Ackerman, Harry K. Gard, Bob Holland, Len Immke, George Minot, Dave Swaddling, Rex David Thomas, Jack Ruscilli, and Jeff Wilkins. They spent three years refining plans, raising money, finding a property, and recruiting teachers and students. The Wellington School opened with 137 students and 19 employees as the first co-ed independent school in the greater Columbus metropolitan area. The first graduating class was in 1989 with 32 students. In 2010, the new 76,000 square foot building opened. In 2012, the Little Jags preschool program for 3-year-olds began. The Head of School is Dr. Jeff Terwin.


Personal life

Thomas was a
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. He was married for 47 years to Lorraine Thomas and started his family with her in
Upper Arlington, Ohio Upper Arlington, often known by its initials U.A., is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States, on the northwest side of the Columbus metropolitan area. The Old Arlington neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ...
. In addition to Melinda, they had three more daughters – Pam, Lori, and Molly – and a son, Kenny. Though Kenny died in 2013, Dave's daughters still continued to own and run multiple Wendy's locations. Thomas founded the chain Sisters Chicken and Biscuits in 1978, named in reference to his other three daughters.


Death

Thomas had been afflicted with a carcinoid
neuroendocrine tumor Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are neoplasms that arise from cells of the endocrine (hormonal) and nervous systems. They most commonly occur in the intestine, where they are often called carcinoid tumors, but they are also found in the pancreas, lun ...
for a decade, before it metastasized to his liver. He died on January 8, 2002, in his home in
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...
, at the age of 69. Thomas was buried in Union Cemetery in Columbus, Ohio. At the time of his death, there were more than 6,000 Wendy's restaurants operating in North America.


Honors and memberships

In 1979, Thomas received the
Horatio Alger Award The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is a nonprofit organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, that was founded in 1947 to honor the achievements of outstanding Americans who have succeeded in spite of adversity and to emphas ...
for his success with his restaurant chain Wendy's, which had reached annual sales of $1 billion with franchises then. In 1980, Thomas received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. Thomas, realizing that his success as a high school dropout might convince other teenagers to quit school (something he later claimed was a mistake), became a student at
Coconut Creek High School Coconut Creek High School is a high school located in Coconut Creek, Florida, which teaches grades 9–12. Coconut Creek High serves: southern Coconut Creek, and parts of Margate, North Lauderdale, and Pompano Beach. The school is a part of th ...
. He earned a GED in 1993. Thomas was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 1999. Thomas was an honorary Kentucky colonel, as was former boss Colonel Sanders. Thomas was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003. Thomas was raised a Master Mason in Sol. D. Bayless Lodge No. 359 of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and became a 32° Mason, N.M.J., on November 16, 1961, in the Scottish Rite Bodies of Fort Wayne. He affiliated with the Miami, Florida, Scottish Rite Bodies on December 18, 1991; was invested with the Rank and Decoration of Knight Commander Court of Honour on November 13, 1993, in Jacksonville, Florida; and was coroneted an Inspector General Honorary, S.J., on November 25, 1995, in Atlanta, Georgia, and unanimously elected to the Scottish Rite's highest honor, the Grand Cross, by The Supreme Council, 33°, in Executive Session on October 3, 1997, in Washington, D.C.


Legacy

A small triangular block and the surrounding streets and traffic pattern in the Northeast quadrant of Washington, D.C., is unofficially known in the D.C. area as
Dave Thomas Circle Dave Thomas Circle is the unofficial nickname for a small triangular block in Northeast Washington, D.C., and the surrounding streets and traffic pattern. It is bounded by Florida Avenue, New York Avenue and First Street Northeast, with O Stre ...
, due to the longtime presence of a Wendy's franchise and its parking lot on that block.


References


External links


Wendy's tribute to Dave ThomasThe Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption"Dave Thomas Biography"
Retrieved June 1, 2005 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Dave 1932 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American philanthropists 21st-century American businesspeople American adoptees American chief executives of food industry companies American food company founders American restaurateurs Burials in Ohio Businesspeople from Fort Lauderdale, Florida Businesspeople from Indiana Businesspeople from Michigan Businesspeople from New Jersey Businesspeople from Tennessee Deaths from cancer in Florida Deaths from neuroendocrine cancer Fast-food chain founders KFC people People from Atlantic City, New Jersey People from Fort Wayne, Indiana People from Kalamazoo, Michigan People from Knoxville, Tennessee Philanthropists from Ohio Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients United States Army non-commissioned officers Wendy's International