Dave Thomas | Gentle Bedtime Reading

Drift off with this calm bedtime reading designed to bring peace to sleepless nights and ease insomnia. This gentle episode blends soothing narration with soft educational detail to help your mind settle for restful sleep. Unwind as Benjamin explores the life of Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s, sharing his early years, entrepreneurial spirit, and lasting impact on the restaurant industry. You’ll discover interesting facts at a peaceful pace, allowing your thoughts to slow while still learning something meaningful. Benjamin’s steady, comforting cadence offers relaxation without whispering—just warm, fact-filled storytelling that supports quiet focus, reduces stress, and eases anxiety so you can drift into deep sleep. Let this peaceful reading guide you toward rest. Press play, breathe deeply, and drift off. Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I help you drift off one fact at a time.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Boster.

And today's episode about Dave Thomas is sponsored by Holly Early.

Rex David Thomas,

July 2nd,

1932 to January 8th,

2002,

Was an American businessman,

Philanthropist,

And fast food tycoon,

Who is the founder and chief executive officer of Wendy's,

A fast food restaurant 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.

Rex David Thomas was born July 2nd,

1932,

In Atlantic City,

New Jersey.

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 Oliva Thompson,

And as an adult became a well-known advocate for adoption,

Founding the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.

After his adopted 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,

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 the age of twelve,

Thomas had his first job at Regus Restaurant,

A fine dining restaurant in downtown Knoxville,

Tennessee,

Then lost it in a dispute with his boss.

He vowed never to lose another job.

Decades later,

Regus Restaurant installed a large autographed poster of Thomas just inside their entrance,

Which remained until the business closed in 2010.

By fifteen,

He was moving with his father and working at the Hobby House Restaurant in Fort Wayne,

Indiana,

Owned by Phil Klaus,

Who became his mentor.

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,

Which offers GED classes to young adults.

At the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950,

Rather than waiting for the draft,

He volunteered for the U.

S.

Army at age eighteen to have some choice in his assignments.

Having food production and service experience,

Thomas requested the Cooks and Bakers 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.

After his discharge in 1953,

Thomas returned to Fort Wayne and the Hobby House.

In the mid-1950s,

Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harlan Sanders came to Fort Wayne,

Hoping to find restaurants with established businesses to whom he could try to sell KFC franchises.

At first,

Thomas,

Who was the head cook at a restaurant in the Klaus family,

Declined Sanders' offer.

But Sanders persisted,

And the Klaus family franchised their restaurant with KFC.

They also later owned many other KFC franchises in the Midwest.

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 Klaus family in the mid-1960s to help turn around four of their failing KFC stores in Columbus,

Ohio.

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.

After serving as a regional director for Kentucky Fried Chicken,

Thomas became part of the investor group which founded Arthur Treacher's.

His involvement with the new restaurant lasted less than a year before he went on to found Wendy's.

Thomas opened his first Wendy's in Columbus,

Ohio 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 8-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 BioTV,

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 have just named it after myself,

Because it put a lot of pressure on her.

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 hard-working,

So-called mop-bucket attitude.

In 1989,

He took on a significant role as a 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 backers Bill Vogel Gates 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 highly 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 1999,

Thomas wrote Franchising for Dummies,

With co-author Michael Seed,

To offer practical advice and insights from his experiences as a franchise owner and industry leader.

The book explains the fundamentals of franchising,

Navigating its legal and operational complexities,

And making informed decisions about franchise opportunities.

In 1982,

Thomas and a consortium of entrepreneurs created and launched the Wellington School in Upper Arlington,

Ohio.

The group of entrepreneurs spent three years refining plans,

Raising money,

Finding a property,

And recruiting teachers and students.

The 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,

A new 76,

000 square foot building opened.

In 2012,

The Little Jags preschool program for three-year-olds began.

Thomas was a Christian.

He was married for 47 years to Lorraine Thomas,

And started his family with her in Upper Arlington,

Ohio.

In addition to Melinda,

They had three more daughters,

Pam,

Lori,

And Molly,

And a son,

Kenny.

After Kenny died in 2013,

His sisters 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.

He had been afflicted with a carcinoid neuroendocrine tumor for a decade,

Before it metastasized to his liver.

Thomas died at his home in Fort Lauderdale,

Florida,

On January 8,

2002,

At the age of 69.

He 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.

In 1979,

Thomas received the Horatio Alger Award 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 realized that his success as a high school dropout might convince other teenagers to quit school,

Something he later claimed was a mistake.

He became a student at Coconut Creek High School.

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 Harlan Sanders.

Thomas was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003.

Thomas was raised a Master Mason and sold the Bayless Lodge No.

359 of Fort Wayne,

Indiana,

And became a 32-degree Mason,

NMJ,

On November 16,

1961,

In the Scottish Rite bodies of Fort Wayne.

He was unanimously elected to the Scottish Rite's highest honor,

The Grand Cross,

By the Supreme Council,

33 degrees,

In executive session on October 3,

1997,

In Washington,

D.

C.

A small triangular block and the surrounding streets and traffic pattern in the northeast quadrant of Washington,

D.

C.

,

Was then officially known in the D.

C.

Area as Dave Thomas Circle,

Due to the longtime presence of a Wendy's franchise and its parking lot on that block.

Wendy's International,

LLC,

Is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas on November 15,

1969,

In Columbus,

Ohio.

Its headquarters moved to Dublin,

Ohio,

On January 29,

2006.

As of December 31,

2018,

Wendy's was the world's third-largest hamburger fast food chain,

Following McDonald's and Burger King.

On September 29,

2008,

The company merged with Triarc,

The publicly traded parent company of Arby's.

As of November 2,

2023,

There were 7,

166 Wendy's outlets,

Of which 415 are company-owned and 6,

751 franchised,

83% of which are in the United States.

The company specifies store standards.

Owners control opening hours,

Decor,

And staff uniforms and pay.

The chain serves square hamburger patties on circular buns,

Sea salt fries,

And the Frosty,

Soft ice cream mixed with starches.

The food menu consists primarily of hamburgers,

Chicken sandwiches,

And french fries.

The company discontinued its Big Classic signature sandwich.

Wendy's hamburgers are based on those of Kewpie Hamburgers in Dave Thomas' hometown,

Kalamazoo,

Michigan.

Kewpie sold square hamburgers and thick mulled shakes.

Thomas founded Wendy's in Columbus,

Ohio in 1969,

Selling square patties with corners that stack out of the circular bun,

Giving the impression of plentiful meat.

The Columbus location later added a Tim Hortons.

This was closed on March 2,

2003,

After 38 years of business due to declining sales.

Basketball star John Havlicek,

An Ohio State University alumnus,

Was one of Thomas' earliest investors,

Which allowed him to retire comfortably.

Thomas named the restaurant after his fourth child,

Melinda Lou Wendy Thomas.

Photographs of her were on display at the original Wendy's restaurant until it closed.

Thomas wrote that he regretted naming the restaurant after his daughter because,

Once it became a fast food empire,

She lost some of her privacy with many people,

Assuming she was the official company spokesperson.

In August 1972,

The first Wendy's franchisee,

L.

S.

Hartzog,

Signed an agreement for Indianapolis,

Indiana.

Also in 1972,

Wendy's broadcast its first TV commercials locally in Ohio,

Portraying an animated Wendy and dancing hamburgers.

The first logo in 1969 featured Wendy's smiling face with red hair and pigtails,

Along with the phrase,

Old Fashioned Hamburgers.

In 1971,

The slogan,

Quality is our Recipe,

Was added above her portrait,

And by 1972,

The design became more formal with changes to her calligraphy.

From 1977 to 1983,

The logo introduced red and yellow zones,

And in 1983,

A bold version with Wendy's portrait above the large brand name lasted for three decades.

Finally,

In 2012 to 2013,

Wendy's unveiled its modern logo with a simplified portrait,

Handwritten style text,

And a hidden mom in the collar,

Emphasizing warmth and family values.

The first Canadian restaurant opened in Hamilton,

Ontario in 1976.

In December 1976,

Wendy's opened its 500th restaurant,

Located in Toronto.

In March 1978,

Wendy's opened its 1000th restaurant in Springfield,

Tennessee.

Wendy's founded the fried chicken chain Sisters Chicken and Biscuits in 1978,

And sold it to its largest franchisee in 1987.

In the 1970s,

Wendy's opened in Australia,

But by 1986,

Almost all their Australian stores had been purchased by Hungry Jack's,

The Australian franchisee of Burger King.

On May 13,

2021,

Wendy's opened a pop-up store in The Rocks in the Sydney's Central Business District for a day.

In 1979,

The first European Wendy's opened in Munich,

West Germany.

Wendy's entered the Asian market by opening its first restaurants in Japan in 1980,

In Hong Kong in 1982,

And in the Philippines and Singapore in 1983.

In 1984,

Wendy's opened its first restaurant in South Korea.

The chain opened locations in West Germany in the 1980s in Mannheim,

Heidelberg,

And Munich,

And other areas where the U.

S.

Maintained army bases.

When the troops were removed after German reunification in the early 1990s,

These Wendy's stores were closed.

In response to a 1986 slowdown in the chain's performance,

Wendy's took steps to ensure that stores met the required standards.

Wendy's closed all its outlets in Hong Kong in 1986,

And in Singapore in the following year.

From 1988 to 1990,

Wendy's expanded operations globally to Mexico,

New Zealand,

Indonesia,

Greece,

Turkey,

Guatemala,

As well as a U.

S.

Naval base in Naples,

Italy.

In 1988,

Wendy's expanded its bar to a full-blown buffet,

Called the Super Bar,

For $2.

99.

While popular,

It was difficult to maintain and was discontinued in 1998.

In 1989,

Wendy's opened its first restaurant in Greece at Syntagma Square,

Athens,

Made it the first foreign fast food chain in the country.

After opening 12 restaurants in three cities,

The company abandoned the Greek market in 2002 due to differences with the local franchisee,

Although it was a very successful and profitable business at the time.

In 1996,

The chain expanded in Argentina by opening 18 local restaurants.

However,

All of them closed only four years later due to the economic crisis in the country.

In 1998,

Wendy's pulled out of South Korea by closing all its 15 restaurants,

And in 2000 exited from the UK,

Argentina,

And Hong Kong.

In 1995,

Wendy's International sold its 35 Arkansas locations to 4J LLC.

In 2001,

Wendy's created Vermont-based Scioto Insurance Company to furnish insurance to Wendy's and other affiliates.

Scioto owns a subsidiary,

Oldmark LLC,

Which holds Wendy's intellectual property and licenses it back to Wendy's for royalties.

Garden Sensation Salads were added in 2002.

Wendy's signed a franchise agreement to re-enter the Singapore market in 2009,

Though that agreement was short-lived.

In April 2015,

Wendy's once again ceased operation in the country and closed all the restaurants.

On September 29,

2008,

The company merged with Treyarch Companies Inc.

,

The publicly traded parent company of Arby's.

Wendy's headquarters remained in Dublin.

Treyarch then became known as Wendy's Arby's Group and later as The Wendy's Company following the sale of Arby's to Rourke Capital Group.

In 2011,

Wendy's returned to Japan and Argentina,

Announcing a development agreement for 50 restaurants in the country.

It also entered the Russian market for the first time with plans to open 180 restaurants over a 10-year period.

However,

Only three years later in 2014,

Wendy's closed all its restaurants in the country.

In June 2012,

Wendy's acquired 30 franchised locations in Austin,

Texas from Dave and Jason Neer,

Two sons of former Wendy's CEO James W.

Neer.

These restaurants were then sold to Haza Foods in December 2013.

In August 2012,

Wendy's acquired 24 franchised restaurants in Albuquerque.

In 2013,

Wendy's opened the first restaurant in Georgia and made a deal to open 25 restaurants in Georgia and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

In September 2014,

Several pork-based products were introduced to be on sale until early November.

These included a standard pulled pork sandwich with slaw and three sauce options,

A barbecue pulled pork cheeseburger and cheese fries with pulled pork,

Cheddar cheese sauce,

Onions,

And barbecue sauce.

In May 2015,

Wendy's announced they would be expanding into India with its first outlet located in Gurgaon.

In October 2013,

Wendy's sold its 24 Seattle locations to longtime franchisee Cedar Enterprises.

In November 2013,

The company sold its 54 Salt Lake City locations to NPC International.

In February 2014,

Wendy's sold its 70 company-owned locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area to MUY Hamburger Partners.

In September 2016,

J.

A.

E.

Restaurant Group acquired 97 Wendy's restaurants throughout the South Florida region.

J.

A.

E.

Restaurant Group is one of the country's largest franchisee owners.

The group owns 177 Wendy's restaurants.

Wendy's Co.

Has been looking to remodel existing stores and upgrade the curb appeal of its locations.

They've been doing this by adding fireplaces,

More seating options,

Adding Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs and digital menus.

In 2017,

The company sold 540 of its restaurants.

The divestiture was the second step in a three-step action plan to improve the brand.

Other steps include new openings and remodeling of existing stores.

In 2015,

The brand opened 80 new restaurants and remodeled 450 of its existing locations.

The brand's goal is to remodel at least 60% of its North American locations by year-end 2020.

In December 2017,

Wendy's announced a partnership with DoorDash for food delivery in the U.

S.

On October 2019,

Wendy's announced that it was returning to the U.

K.

Market,

Which it had served from 1980 to 1986,

Then again from 1992 to 2000.

The first of 20 planned restaurants was due to open in 2020 and stoke on trend,

But it was later announced that the first location would be Reading,

Berkshire.

The Reading restaurant opened on June 2,

2021.

Wendy's would open its first drive-thru location in the U.

K.

In Colchester in July 2023.

In January 2021,

Wendy's announced that after the bankruptcy of franchisee NPC Quality Burgers,

Inc.

,

Half of NPC's outlets would be bought by Flynn Restaurant.

In 2023,

Wendy's announced it would be returning to Australia,

With hundreds of locations set to open across the country.

The chain previously operated in Australia from the 1970s until it was closed in 1986.

However,

The U.

S.

Burger giant has already run into a potential issue with the trademark to Wendy's name,

Already owned by a different fast food outlet named Wendy's Milk Bar,

Which opened in 1979 and has been operating in the country for over 40 years.

In January 2025,

Wendy's opened its first store in Surfers Paradise.

In July 2024,

Wendy's announced that they had signed an agreement with franchisees in the Republic of Ireland and would begin opening restaurants there beginning in early 2025,

With the agreement stipulating that 30 new restaurants would open across the country over the following 10 years.

A few days later,

They announced the first five restaurants in Romania,

Scheduled to open in 2025.

The franchisor for Romania is Canadian company J.

K.

C.

Capital,

Which operates 61 Wendy's restaurants in Canada and plans to invest $200 million over the next decade.

Wendy's offers two different hamburger patties,

A junior 1.

78-ounce patty,

And a single 4-ounce patty.

The 4-ounce patties are sold in single,

Double,

And triple configurations,

And the 1.

78-ounce ones in a single and double.

The previous size of 2 ounces per junior patty was reduced in 2007 to save money.

The chain's patties are known for being square instead of round,

As more square patties can fit onto a single grill over round.

Originally,

Wendy's had only two kinds of chicken sandwiches,

Fried and grilled.

The Spicy Chicken Sandwich started out as a promotion.

It was later put on the menu full-time in 1996 because of its popularity and its ease of preparation.

It used the same condiments as the standard fried chicken sandwich.

The Frescata line of sandwiches also went from being promotional items to main menu items.

After going through several revisions,

The Turkey and Swiss and the Ham and Swiss were put on the menu full-time.

They were discontinued in mid-December 2007.

Occasionally,

Some Wendy's restaurants offer a fried fish sandwich.

In 1998,

Wendy's was the first fast-food chain to create a single price-point value menu,

Where all items listed on that menu were priced exclusively at 99 cents.

That menu was modified in 2007,

With prices ranging from 99 cents to $2.

Reviews

That was interesting! I’ve been to Fort Wayne, traveling for work years ago. It was actually a fun trip because of my coworker.
It was odd to hear Germany referred to as West Germany. My father was in the Air Force and we were stationed there when it was still West Germany, but it’s been Germany for so long it just sounds odd now.
Dave was an interesting man, I heard most of it due to insomnia. Nothing wakes a cat Mom up faster than hearing your little darling start to hack up something. So here I am at almost 4 AM wide awake. 😹😹😹
I’ll give this one another shot, thanks Benjamin! 😊😊😊

Dave Thomas was more interesting than I thought he would be. Learned a little, slept more. Thanks Ben.