Dave Thomas

@Businessman, Timeline and Childhood ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Dave Thomas was the founder of Wendy’s a fast food restaurant chain Cancer Celebrities New Jersey Philanthropists Poorly Educated American Business People Restaurateurs Since generations, people have always complained of not finding the perfect pizza or the spot-on spaghetti while trying different restaurants and fast food joints but has anyone looked beyond complaining? One did and became the owner of the third most popular burger restaurant in US, Wendy’s. In an attempt to revive the status of hamburgers in Columbus, Dave Thomas unknowingly re-wrote history in the world of fast food and created a legacy that lasted through ages. It was his inability to find a good hamburger in Columbus that inspired him to take in charge and start with his own enterprise that sold authentic and scrumptious hamburgers. Backing on the years of expertise in restaurant business which he gained from working at Hobby House Restaurant and his successful attempt at reviving the KFC brand, Thomas took a step ahead in his career and founded Wendy's, a fast-food restaurant chain specializing in hamburgers. He served as the chief executive officer of the company which within a couple of years witnessed a growth manifold, expanding from a single enterprise to a huge burger franchise with a chain of 6000 outlets. Apart from being the initiator of Wendy’s, Thomas was also responsible for being the face of the brand, as he appeared in about 800 commercials from 1989 until 2002. To know more about his life and profile, read on.

Personal Details

Birthday: July 2, 1932 Died on: January 8, 2002 Nationality: American Famous: Businessman, Philanthropists, Poorly Educated, Business People, Restaurateurs City/State: New Jersey Spouses: Lorraine Thomas (m. 1954–2002) Known as: Dave Information Detail Birthday July 2, 1932 Died on January 8, 2002 Nationality American Famous Businessman, Philanthropists, Poorly Educated, Business People, Restaurateurs City/State New Jersey Spouses Lorraine Thomas (m. 1954–2002) Known as Dave Childrens Wendy Thomas Universities Coconut Creek High School Founder / Co-Founder Wendy's Birth Place Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA Gender Male Net Worth $99 million Sun Sign Cancer Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA Famous as American businessman Died at Age 69

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Dave Thomas born at Unsplash Birth Place

He tied the nuptial knot with Lorraine in 1956. The couple was blessed with five children, the youngest of whom was Melinda Lou, nicknamed Wendy on whom he later named the chain of restaurants. Unsplash Personal Life

An adoptive child himself, he founded the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which made some ground-breaking initiatives, providing benefits for people who adopted children. It was due to his increasing popularity that he was appointed as a national spokesman on adoptive issues by President George Bush. Unsplash Personal Life

He underwent a quadruple bypass surgery in December 1996. Though he resumed his active role as brand promoter, in the early months of 2001, he began receiving kidney dialysis. Unsplash Personal Life

Dave Thomas was born to a single woman in Atlantic City, New Jersey, who later gave him up for adoption. When he was six weeks of age, he was adopted by Rex and Auleva Thomas. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

Young Thomas’s adoptive mother expired when he was five years old. He was then raised up by his grandmother Minnie Sinclair in Michigan, while his father sought for work. It was his grandmother who inculcated in him the values of respect and reverence. Unsplash Childhood & Early Life

He took to working at the age of 12 in a restaurant in Knoxville, Tennessee, The Regas. However, the job did not last long as he had a spat with his boss. Vowing never to lose a job again, he moved with his dad and took up various odd jobs, as a paperboy, golf caddy and at soda fountain counter in drugstore. Unsplash Career

When he was 15, he started working part time at the Hobby House Restaurant owned by the Clauss family in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Meanwhile, he attained his formal education from a local high school. Unsplash Career

When his family relocated from Fort Wayne, instead of choosing to go with them, he stayed back and switched to working full-time at the restaurant, dropping out from high school during his 10th grade. Unsplash Career

In 1950, at the outbreak of the Korean War, he volunteered himself for the US Army. Since he already had a couple of years of experience in food production and service, he chose to serve in the same. Unsplash Career

He was sent to Germany wherein he took up the post of a mess sergeant. He was responsible for the daily meals of 2000 soldiers. Within a span of time, he was upgraded to the rank of staff sergeant. In 1953, he was relieved of his services. Unsplash Career

He was a Freemason at Sol. D. Bayless Lodge No. 359 Fort Wayne, Indiana, and a member of the Shriners. In 1995, he was conferred with the honorary 33rd degree. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

In 1999, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame. Unsplash Awards & Achievements

Additionally, he was also an honorary Kentucky colonel Unsplash Awards & Achievements

Information	Detail
Birthday	July 2, 1932
Died on	January 8, 2002
Nationality	American
Famous	Businessman, Philanthropists, Poorly Educated, Business People, Restaurateurs
City/State	New Jersey
Spouses	Lorraine Thomas (m. 1954–2002)
Known as	Dave
Childrens	Wendy Thomas
Universities	Coconut Creek High School
Founder / Co-Founder	Wendy's
Birth Place	Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Gender	Male
Net Worth	$99 million
Sun Sign	Cancer
Born in	Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Famous as	American businessman
Died at Age	69

Dave Thomas

American

Jul 2, 1932

Biography

Personal Details

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA