Name—Dave Thomas
Date of death—Tuesday around midnight at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Age—69
Cause of death—Liver cancer. (He had been undergoing kidney dialysis and had earlier undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery.)
Background—He was the founder and senior chairman of Wendy's International, one of the world's most successful fast-food enterprises. Wendy's became a household name when he began pitching his burgers and fries in television commercials in 1989. He always wore a white short-sleeved shirt and red tie. He made more than 800 humorous ads, sometimes featuring stars such as bluesman B. B. King and soap opera queen Susan Lucci. His homespun ads contributed greatly to the company's success.
Quotation—Jack Schuessler, chief executive of Wendy's, based in the Columbus, Ohio suburb of Dublin: "He was the heart and soul of our company. He had a passion for great-tasting hamburgers and devoted his life to serving customers great food and helping those less fortunate in his community."
Quotation from Thomas—In 1991, he was quoted as saying: "As long as it works, I'll continue to do the commercials. When it's not working any longer, then I'm history."
More background—Thomas was born July 2, 1932. He was 12 when he got his first restaurant job. He worked as a counterman in Knoxville, Tenn. He was working at a barbecue restaurant in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 1956 when Col. Harland Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame stopped in on a promotional tour. At that time, Thomas' boss bought a KFC franchise. Six years later, Thomas moved to Columbus to take over four failing KFC restaurants. In 1968, he sold them back to the founder for $1.5 million when he was 35 years old.
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About Wendy's—Thomas opened the first Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers in Columbus in 1969. The restaurant was named for his 8-year-old daughter, Melinda Lou, who had been nicknamed Wendy by her siblings. The size of the chain at the time of his death: 6,000 restaurants worldwide. In 1996, Wendy's also acquired the Canadian-based Tim Hortons, a coffee and fresh-baked goods chain that has grown to more than 2,000 stores. Combined sales of both: $8 billion a year.
More quotations—Schuessler said: "Although Dave was wildly popular, he was never comfortable as a celebrity. He kept reminding us he was simply a hamburger cook."
More company background—During the middle 1980s, earnings dropped. Industry analysts and company officials credit his ads with helping the company rebound from the difficult period.
Quotation—Diane Mustain, a financial analyst, said in 1991, two years after the ads started running: "He's given Wendy's a corporate identity … a down-homey type image. The lack of sophistication is a real benefit for the company."
His other interests—He created the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a not-for-profit organization. Thomas had been adopted as an infant. He became a national advocate for adoption. His organization was created to raise public awareness of adoption. He donated the profits from his books, Dave's Way and Well Done!, to the foundation.
Congressional testimony—Thomas once testified before Congress about the importance of creating incentives for adoption. He said during his testimony: "I know firsthand how important it is for every child to have a home and loving family. Without a family, I would not be where I am today."
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Exercise 13.6
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2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education