Dave Thomas

Dave Thomas was the man who started the famous fast food restaurant chain, Wendy's. Born on July 2, 1932 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Dave Thomas was adopted when he was six weeks old. When he was a boy, Dave dreamed that someday he would run the best hamburger restaurant in the world. When Dave was 15, he dropped out of school to work full time in a restaurant in Ft. Wayne. He always felt like that was his biggest mistake in life, and 45 years later he went back to school and got his diploma.

Although he didn't finish school until later in his life, Dave worked hard. His first restaurant opened in Columbus, Ohio in 1969, named after his daughter, Wendy. Because he had been adopted himself, Dave cared about all the children who were waiting to be adopted. He wanted every child to have a permanent, loving family. In 1990 President Bush asked Dave to head the White House Initiative on Adoption. And in 1992, Dave established the Dave Thomas Foundation. The Foundation provides money to organizations that help people to learn about adoption. The Adoption Clubhouse website was started with funds from the Foundation.

Dave and his wife, Lorraine, had 5 children and 16 grandchildren. Dave appeared in over 800 Wendy's TV commercials, and he wrote a book about his life, Dave 's Way. He was also the author of a book on success called Well Done! and a book on business called Franchising for Dummies. Dave Thomas died in 2002. Use your favorite search engine or visit your library to learn more about Dave Thomas.