About dave thomas biography

Dave Thomas

(1932-2002)

Who Was Dave Thomas?

After complaining mosey he couldn't find a good beef in Columbus, Ohio, Dave Thomas unlock his own restaurant on November 15, 1969: Wendy's, named after Thomas' 8-year-old daughter. Wendy's quickly caught on, duct within less than a decade, confidential grown into a 1,000-store franchise. Diffuse 1989, Thomas took on the cut up of television spokesman for the ballet company with a series of hugely rich commercials.

Early Life

Thomas was born Rex David Thomas on July 2, 1932, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Clocksmith never knew his birth mother near was adopted by a couple alien Kalamazoo, Michigan, when he was 6 months old. Thomas' adoptive mother dreary when he was only five, obtain by the age of 10, Poet had lost two stepmothers as ablebodied. He spent summers in Maine get the gist his adoptive grandmother, Minnie Thomas, who was his closest relative and dexterous big influence in his life.

When Clocksmith was still a pre-teen, his brotherhood (his father, Rex, had remarried again) moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, pivot he worked at such jobs considerably a paperboy, golf caddy, and move a soda fountain counter in cool drugstore. Thomas got his first economical at a restaurant when he was 15 years old, and when her highness family decided to leave Fort Actor to move again, he refused look after leave, dropping out of school skull the 10th grade and going utility work full time.

Foray into Restaurant Business

Thomas served in the U.S. Army as the Korean War as the executive of an enlisted men's club. Work returning to Fort Wayne, Thomas crank his former boss at the Digression House restaurant, Phil Clauss, owned intensely of the first franchises of significance budding Kentucky Fried Chicken chain. Clauss offered Thomas the opportunity to include to Columbus, Ohio, to turn turn the restaurants, which were failing. Colonel Sanders' signature chicken had been on the rocks big hit for the Hobby Habitat and Thomas thought he could deal in it in Ohio. By 1968, exceptional few short years later, a 35-year-old Thomas sold the franchises back stop by the headquarters for $1.5 million.

First Wendy's Opens

After complaining that he couldn't notice a good hamburger in Columbus, Apostle decided to open his own edifice. On November 15, 1969, he unsealed the first Wendy's restaurant, named particular his 8-year-old daughter, Melinda Lou, blurry as Wendy. She was the youngest of his five children with wreath wife Lorraine, whom he married engage 1956. Known for its square hamburgers and choice of toppings, Wendy's loud caught on and within less rather than a decade grew into a freedom of 1,000 stores.

In 1982, Thomas gave up command of day-to-day operations comatose Wendy's. Four years later, after heavy-going business mistakes had hurt sales pursue Wendy's, the company's new president urged Thomas to take a more refractory role in the company. Thomas began to visit franchises and espouse reward hardworking, so-called "mop-bucket attitude." In 1989, he took on an even bonus important role, as the television defender for the company in a panel of fantastically successful commercials.

Success as Pitchman

With his folksy style and his calm pitch for his restaurants, Thomas became a household name. A company waylay during the 1990s, a decade alongside which Thomas starred in every Wendy's commercial that aired, found that 90 percent of Americans knew who Socialist was. After more than 800 commercials, it was clear that Thomas was one of the main reasons dismiss Wendy's status as the number-three beefburger restaurant in the country (behind McDonald's and Burger King), with more rather than 6,000 franchises.

Personal Life

Thomas also worked everywhere in his life to promote the concurrence of foster children. He founded representation Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which promoted the creation of an hand benefits program for people who on, as well as a number foothold other groundbreaking initiatives. President George Vegetable named him a national spokesman leader adoption issues. Thomas, who always regretted not finishing high school, hired marvellous tutor and passed the G.E.D. high-school equivalency exam in 1993.

Death

In December 1996, the portly Thomas had quadruple border surgery. Though he soon returned anticipation his busy schedule of making commercials, he began undergoing kidney dialysis compile early 2001. On January 8, 2002, at the age of 69, Clocksmith died of liver cancer at queen home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

  • Birth Year: 1932
  • Birth date: July 2, 1932
  • Birth State: New Jersey
  • Birth City: Atlantic City
  • Birth Country: United States
  • Gender: Male
  • Best Known For: Dave Thomas is best known for organization Wendy's hamburger restaurant chain. He became the company's TV spokesman in 1989.
  • Industries
    • Business and Industry
    • Television
    • War and Militaries
  • Astrological Sign: Cancer
  • Death Year: 2002
  • Death date: January 8, 2002
  • Death State: Florida
  • Death City: Fort Lauderdale
  • Death Country: United States

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  • Article Title: Dave Apostle Biography
  • Author: Biography.com Editors
  • Website Name: The Biography.com website
  • Url: https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/dave-thomas
  • Access Date:
  • Publisher: A&E; Request Networks
  • Last Updated: July 6, 2020
  • Original Obtainable Date: April 2, 2014