Wendy’s story begins in 1969, when founder Dave Thomas opened the very first Wendy’s restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. Dave was born in 1932 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and was raised in Kalamazoo, Michigan. His parents owned a restaurant called “The Glass Bowl.”
Dave’s first job was at the “Tastee Freeze” ice cream shop. He was just 15 years old.
In 1954, at the age of 22, Dave moved to Columbus, Ohio to open up his first restaurant. He called it “Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers” after his daughter Melinda Lou, nicknamed Wendy.
Dave’s restaurant was an instant success. In 1968, he opened a second location. By the early 1970s, there were more than a dozen Wendy’s restaurants in Ohio.
In 1972, Wendy’s became a publicly traded company on the stock market. The following year, Dave appeared in his first television commercial for Wendy’s. He continued to appear in commercials for the next 20 years.
In 1983, Dave Thomas was inducted into the National Restaurant Association Hall of Fame. Four years later, he was inducted into the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame. In 2002, he was posthumously inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.
Dave Thomas died in 2002 at the age of 69. Today, there are more than 6,500 Wendy’s restaurants around the world.
What’s the story behind Wendy’s?
Wendy’s story begins with founder Dave Thomas opening the first restaurant in 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. Dave was born in 1932 and raised in Michigan where his parents owned a restaurant called “The Glass Bowl.” His first job was at 15 years old at an ice cream shop called “Tastee Freeze.” In 1954, at 22 years old he moved to Columbus to open up his own restaurant which he named “Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers” after his daughter Melinda Lou who went by Wendy.
The restaurant was an instant success and by 1972 it became a publicly traded company on the stock market with Dave appearing in his first television commercial that same year which ran for 20 years. In 1983 Dave Thomas was inducted into the National Restaurant Association Hall of Fame and four years later he was inducted into the Junior Achievement U. Business Hall of Fame before being posthumously inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2002 after passing away that same year at 69 years old from liver cancer. Today there are over 6500 Wendy’s locations worldwide serving fresh beef burgers among other fan favorites..
