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Jan 08, 02
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Dave Thomas Wendy's Guy Is Dead!
THOMAS DIED around midnight at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., the company said.
Thomas had been undergoing kidney dialysis since early 2001 and had quadruple heart bypass surgery in December 1996. “He was the heart and soul of our company. He had a passion for great tasting hamburgers, and devoted his life to serving customers great food and helping those less fortunate in his community,” said Jack Schuessler, chairman and chief executive of Wendy’s, based in the Columbus suburb of Dublin. The founder and senior chairman of Wendy’s International became a household name when he began pitching his burgers and fries in television commercials in 1989. The smiling Thomas, always wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and red tie, touted the virtues of fast-food in more than 800 humorous ads, sometimes featuring stars such as bluesman B.B. King and soap opera queen Susan Lucci. Advertisement “As long as it works, I’ll continue to do the commercials,” Thomas said in a 1991 interview. “When it’s not working any longer, then I’m history.” Industry analysts and company officials said the ads helped the company rebound from a difficult period in the mid-1980s when earnings sank. “He’s given Wendy’s a corporate identity ... a down-homey type image. The lack of sophistication is a real benefit for the company,” Diane Mustain, a financial analyst, said in 1991. “Although Dave was wildly popular, he was never very comfortable as a celebrity. He kept reminding us he was simply a hamburger cook,” Schuessler said. But burgers weren’t his first love. Thomas, who was adopted as an infant, became a national advocate for adoption. He created the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a not-for-profit organization focused on raising public awareness of adoption. The profits from his books, “Dave’s Way” and “Well Done!” go to the foundation. He once testified before a Congressional committee about the importance of creating incentives for adoption. “I know firsthand how important it is for every child to have a home and loving family,” he testified. “Without a family, I would not be where I am today.” Born July 2, 1932, Thomas was 12 when he got his first restaurant job — as a counterman in Knoxville, Tenn. In 1956, he was working at a barbecue restaurant in Fort Wayne, Ind., when Col. Harland Sanders of KFC fame stopped in on a promotional tour. Thomas’s boss bought a KFC franchise, and six years later, Thomas came to Columbus to take over four failing Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. He sold them back to the founder in 1968 for $1.5 million, making him a millionaire at 35. He opened his first Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers in Columbus a year later. He named the restaurant after his 8-year-old daughter Melinda Lou, nicknamed Wendy by her siblings. The chain now has 6,000 restaurants worldwide. In 1996, Wendy’s acquired the Canadian-based Tim Hortons, the coffee and fresh-baked goods chain which has grown to more than 2,000 stores. Both have combined sales of more than $8 billion. Thomas was a forgiving businessman. The city of Philadelphia in 1994 wanted to fine Wendy’s $98,400, claiming the restaurant was selling quarter-pounders that were up to a quarter of an ounce short. The city later announced it made an error and withdrew the fine. “I understand what happened,” said Thomas, who visited the city shortly after the controversy. “Things happen. Mistakes happen. As far as we’re concerned, we just want to go to the future. A bright future.” He tried to retire in 1982, but came back in 1989. “They took the focus off the consumer,” he said of the executives who took over the company. Despite his success, it wasn’t until 1993 that Thomas earned a high school equivalency certificate. That year, he told 2,500 Columbus public school seniors his biggest mistake was not finishing high school. “We have 4,000 restaurants today, but if I had gotten my high school diploma, we might have 8,000,” he said. 
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Jan 08, 02
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who this man???
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Jan 08, 02
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:(
This guy was ssoo awesome...i eat at Wendy's all the time...i couldn't believe it when i heard the news... *sigh* :(
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Jan 09, 02
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Im sad that he died...cuz wendy's is good and all...
and yeah he did do great stuff with the whole "Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption" thing, but kenji? why the big fuss??? why did you want to meet him so badly?? oh and who else is on your list?? :) Last edited by IvoryBaby; Jan 09, 02 at 10:36 PM.
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Jan 10, 02
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I know...
:210: I saw Satan laughing with delight the day, Dave Thoooooooomas died... and we were singing bye bye Mr. Wendy's gu <=(... I went to Wendy's for lunch yesterday to commemorate his death... I watched his Biography on A&E... very interesting man
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Jan 10, 02
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It's to bad...But everyone's time has to come...*sigh* =(
His Wendy commercials were well done...The foods okiez... :Kimmie:
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Jan 11, 02
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Jan 11, 02
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Yaaa, me to. This dude is one good business man for someone who didn't finish high school. Quality always seemed to be his selling point. I just can't believe he owned a few KFC joints back in the day. That was a shock. I wonder how business is gonna be if he's not there to do the commercials? Will business drop? Shareholders get mad? Wendy's is gonna have to partner up with someone big or get a really good marketing firm. (Ie Mcdonalds and Disney.)
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Jan 11, 02
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Ya, they did that a few years ago. Unfortunetly, the profits haven't been as successful as they expected. The idea was kinda pointless I think cuz the Tim Hortons would be open, but the Wendy's would't be.
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Jan 12, 02
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Jan 12, 02
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Jan 12, 02
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My Uncle (who alongside my aunt owns 13 wendy's in the states) was friends with Dave Thomas. Apparently he was one of the nicest, most down-to-earth guys you'd ever meet.
It's a shame, I worked at Wendy's for 2 summers and still spend thousands a year buying food from them =)
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