"Since I was eight years old, I've wanted to be in the hamburger business."
Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, R. David Thomas began working at age twelve, delivering groceries in Knoxville, Tennessee, and three years later, left school after grade ten to support himself. Shortly after turning eighteen, he joined the United States Army where he became one of the youngest soldiers ever to manage an enlisted men?s club.
In 1956, Thomas met the man who would become one of the greatest influences in his life: Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders. Six years later, he turned four failing KFC restaurants around by providing a focus, narrowing the menu to just a few items and making chicken and salads the selling point. Married with four children and with franchises that were almost bankrupt, within six years, he turned a $135-a-week salary into $1.5 million and, at the age of thirty-five, became a millionaire.
During those years with KFC, Thomas remained drawn to hamburgers, and even though critics said the market was saturated, he opened the first Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant on November 15, 1969, in downtown Columbus, Ohio. He named the restaurant after his eight-year-old daughter, Melinda Lou, nicknamed Wendy by her siblings.
By 1973, Thomas began selling the Wendy's concept, not as single franchises, but franchises for entire cities or parts of states, to experienced restaurant operators with sound financial backing. Today, there are more than four thousand restaurants in the United States and over thirty countries and territories worldwide. System-wide, over 130,000 people are employed by Wendy's and its franchises.
Even though Thomas' dream of creating a better hamburger led him to the top of a multibillion-dollar, multinational business, he strongly believes in practical experience and remains driven by his own directive: You can't rest on last year.
Thomas' enthusiasm extends beyond the corporate sector to include support for charities such as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, the Children's Hospital in Columbus, Recreational Unlimited, the Ohio State University Cancer Research Institute, and the Children's Home Society of Florida.
The cause that is closest to his heart is adoption. In 1990, he became a national spokesperson for the White House initiative on adoption, ADOPTION WORKS FOR EVERYONE and works tirelessly to raise awareness of this topic. When his autobiography, Dave's Way, was published in 1991, Thomas pledged all profits from book sales to adoption awareness programs, and in addition, donates all speaking fees to children's charities and adoption programs. In 1992, he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, which focuses on raising public awareness for adoption and offering educational programs for prospective adoptive parents.
He has received honorary degrees from the following institutions: Duke University, Northwood Institute, Hawthorne College, Hanover College, and Clemson University. He also holds an honorary professorate from Baylor University.
In 1993, he fulfilled a lifelong dream by passing his GED exam and receiving his high school diploma in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Being a high school dropout always bothered me, but I thought it was too late to get my diploma. Now, I know it?s never too late and maybe this will inspire others to do the same.?
The 1979 Horatio Alger Award recipient continues to tell young people to get all the education possible, saying, "I may not have a formal education, but I was lucky enough to find mentors who taught me about building a business and motivating people. You can't have a career until you get a job, and too many people want to start at the top. Just work hard and apply yourself. My recipe for success is hard work, patience, honesty and total commitment."
Written in 2013