Tastey
01-08-2002, 07:48 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Wendy's founder and pitchman Dave Thomas has died at his home in Florida.
He was 69 years old.
The company said Thomas died around midnight at his Fort Lauderdale home. The company said Thomas had liver cancer.
Thomas built a Columbus hamburger stand into one of the world's most successful fast-food franchises. Thomas learned to cook in the Army, where he had to feed thousands of people every day.
Thomas had been on kidney dialysis since last year and had a coronary bypass in December 1996.
He 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 humorous ads often featuring big-name stars.
While working at a restaurant in Indiana, he met Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders, who became a major influence in his life.
Thomas took over four failing KFC restaurants for his boss, turned them around and sold them for more than $1 million in 1968. He opened the first Wendy's the next year.
Thomas named his restaurant after his 8-year-old daughter Melinda Lou, nicknamed Wendy by her siblings.
Following the memorable and humorous "Where's The Beef?" campaign, sales sagged in the late 1980s, and it was Dave himself who came to the rescue.
Despite his success, Thomas didn't earn a high school equivalency certificate until 1993. That year he told 2,500 high school seniors in Columbus that his biggest mistake was not finishing high school. He said, "We have 4,000 restaurants today, but if I had gotten my high school diploma, we might have 8,000."
Away from the fast food business, Thomas devoted his time and money to the issue of adoption. Thomas, who was adopted himself, created the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. It was his belief that "every boy and girl deserves a permanent home." He was committed to the cause, and helped establish and fund the Children's Home Society in Ft. Lauderdale.
He was 69 years old.
The company said Thomas died around midnight at his Fort Lauderdale home. The company said Thomas had liver cancer.
Thomas built a Columbus hamburger stand into one of the world's most successful fast-food franchises. Thomas learned to cook in the Army, where he had to feed thousands of people every day.
Thomas had been on kidney dialysis since last year and had a coronary bypass in December 1996.
He 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 humorous ads often featuring big-name stars.
While working at a restaurant in Indiana, he met Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders, who became a major influence in his life.
Thomas took over four failing KFC restaurants for his boss, turned them around and sold them for more than $1 million in 1968. He opened the first Wendy's the next year.
Thomas named his restaurant after his 8-year-old daughter Melinda Lou, nicknamed Wendy by her siblings.
Following the memorable and humorous "Where's The Beef?" campaign, sales sagged in the late 1980s, and it was Dave himself who came to the rescue.
Despite his success, Thomas didn't earn a high school equivalency certificate until 1993. That year he told 2,500 high school seniors in Columbus that his biggest mistake was not finishing high school. He said, "We have 4,000 restaurants today, but if I had gotten my high school diploma, we might have 8,000."
Away from the fast food business, Thomas devoted his time and money to the issue of adoption. Thomas, who was adopted himself, created the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. It was his belief that "every boy and girl deserves a permanent home." He was committed to the cause, and helped establish and fund the Children's Home Society in Ft. Lauderdale.