0:00
Today on Weird History Food, we're putting the heat lamp on Dave Thomas, the famed founder of Wendy's
0:06
Rex David Thomas was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey on July 2, 1932
0:12
At six weeks old, he was adopted by Rex and Aleva Thomas. But sadly, Aleva passed away when Dave was only five
0:18
The time Dave and his dad spent together mostly involved eating at local restaurants
0:23
usually ones with good hamburgers. These early memories with his father ceded his desire to one day own his own restaurant
0:29
He got a job at the Hobby House restaurant working for owner Phil Klaus, who would become a mentor
0:36
Dave enlisted in the Army at age 18 at the beginning of the Korean War
0:40
He went to Fort Benning, Georgia, where he attended the U.S. Army Cooks and Baker School
0:44
In 1953, after his deployment, he returned to Fort Wayne and his job at the Hobby House
0:49
At the Hobby House, Klaus made the acquaintance of Colonel Sanders. Klaus saw an opportunity when it came clucking and began selling KFC at his Hobby House restaurant
0:58
The head cook for which, by this time, was Dave Thomas. Klaus was sold on the KFC approach and had hobby house outlets in Columbus, Ohio, that were not doing well
1:08
Klaus offered Dave a challenge. Moved to Columbus and improved sales at the struggling restaurants there in exchange for a steak in the business
1:16
In 1962, he made the move. Thomas was so successful in Columbus that he was able to sell his steak back to Sanders and the Kentucky Fried Chicken Organization in 1968 for million Thomas took the proceeds of the KFC sale and plowed them into the dream he had his whole life to open his own restaurant
1:36
He wanted a place with a good burger, fresh, never frozen, and made to order
1:40
Like those he and his adoptive dad shared a love for all those years ago
1:44
But what to call it? Dave and his wife Lorraine had five children, Pam, Ken, Lori, Molly, and red-headed Melinda Lou
1:52
young Melinda and her siblings had trouble pronouncing her name. It came out Wenda, which eventually morphed into Wendy
2:00
And just like that, a cute-as-a-dickens mascot was born. In November 1969, Thomas opened the world's first Wendy's old-fashioned hamburgers
2:09
on Fifth and Broad Streets in downtown Columbus. In 1982, Dave Thomas retired from day-to-day operations at the company, remaining as chairman
2:17
Dave did his first commercial for the company in 1989. Dave Thomas soon became a household member
2:22
name and over the years appeared in more than 800 commercials for Wendy's. In 1992, he founded
2:28
the Dave Thomas Foundation for adoption. Dave also used its success in popularity to promote education
2:34
In 1993, Thomas studied for and received his GED from Coconut Creek High School in Fort Lauderdale
2:41
Florida. Thomas passed away in 2002 at the age of 69, after devoting more than 30 years to
2:47
his passion. Today, Wendy's is a global chain of more than 7,000 outlets, the company that
2:52
never cuts corners with its fresh, never frozen guarantee, is still going strong
