Dave Thomas’ entrepreneurship legacy stands tall for aspiring entrepreneurs and philanthropists till date. Dave Thomas’ business insights are well articulated in his autobiography, Dave's Way, which depicts how he breathed life into his dreams. His entrepreneurial philanthropy personality garnered immense applause from the restaurant industry and business community for having created a brand that boasts over 6,000 locations and generates approximately $1.6 billion in annual revenue. All this came from a man who was adopted, had a tumultuous upbringing, dropped out of high school, and had been dismissed from several jobs. After all that, how did Dave have the gumption and perseverance to start the third-biggest hamburger chain in the world?

Catastrophic Start

Rex David Thomas set foot on this planet on July 2, 1932, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. At just six weeks of age, Dave lost his mother, Molly and was adopted by Rex and Auleva Thomas. He again experienced the loss of a family member, his mother, who took him in, when he was just five years old. He and his adoptive father went from state to state to make a living and developed a bond, including their love for good hamburgers. All through his adolescence, Dave took up a lot of part-time jobs, in which he was let off by a few. Yet, he never let this get in the way of his passion for the restaurant business. Like most people at the time, Dave also served in the army during the Korean War, playing a significant role in food service by feeding thousands of American soldiers.

Trained Under the Legend in Restaurant Business: Colonel Sanders

Soon after the army, he joined back in one of the restaurants he had previously worked at in Fort Wayne, Hobby House, in the 1950s. It was at this time he ran into the founder and father of the modern world’s most famed KFC franchise, Colonel Sanders. He experienced firsthand what it's like to run a restaurant business.

Became Someone who Colonel Sanders Could Count On

When sales started to suffer at some of the franchises, The Colonel offered Dave an equity stake in exchange for his assistance in turning the stores around.

Dave helped The Colonel by expanding KFC branding and marketing initiatives and got the sales up at the franchise locations by the late 1960s.

 

Upon these accomplishments, Dave got the boost to start his own brand. Therefore, he sold The Colonel his ownership stake, estimated at about $1.5 million, in the KFC franchise and used it to help start his own business.

An Eight-Year-Old’s Dream Come True

Little did eight-year-old Dave know that he would one day become able to own the world's most popular and biggest restaurant.

Laid the founding stone of Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969, the restaurant became popular for its square, freshly-cut beef burgers that stick out from the buns.

He named the restaurant Wendy’s, a nickname of one of his children, Melinda Lou Thomas, a seven-year-old who, at the time, had trouble pronouncing her full name, and hence, got the nickname ‘Wendy.’ With that, he set his restaurant tagline as "Quality Is Our Recipe."

Pioneered Many Innovations

Between 1970 and 1982, Wendy's grew in operations to more than 1,000 locations. Dave is the first to invent the "Pick-Up Window" concept, the use of fresh meat for their burgers, the introduction of a full salad bar, the 99-cent Super Value Menu, and the way franchises were sold—selling them in bulk to cities and regions instead of as individual units. These all became the factors that helped the brand grow bigger.

He is the Man for the Job

After Dave took his retirement, Wendy’s began showing major drawbacks which affected sales and day-to-day operations in 1982. To save the day, Dave was called back in the late 1980s to nurse the brand back on its growth track.

Became a Familiar Favorite TV Icon

On the other hand, Dave started his national advertising campaigns, which would not only revive Wendy's operations and brand but also result in him being a well-liked celebrity and role model throughout the world. Wendy's TV ads Dave reached millions of people and used his fame to help others. He was a staunch supporter of adoption, helping children find loving and long-term homes. Despite his popularity, he never let it get to him. 

A Strong Advocate for Adoption

He was truly an individual who was true to his image behind the cameras. In his private life, he was a loving husband and father to his wife, Lorraine, and their five children. Perhaps being an adoptee himself is said to have made Dave become a strong advocate for adoption. This nonprofit seeks to increase awareness of adoption while also lowering the cost and simplifying the process. In 1992, he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption after President George H.W. Bush appointed him as a national spokesperson on adoption issues. Dave's enthusiasm for adoption was also brought to Washington, where it inspired legislation granting tax benefits to foster parents.

Always Rooted for Education

Also, Dave’s situation of having to leave high school to work full-time at the Hobby House Restaurant could be another experience that evoked him to pursue humanitarian endeavors. He was also a mindful human being who did not want children to assume that dropping out of school makes everybody turn out successful. He strongly wanted children to take school seriously, and therefore, at the age of 61, he went back to high school and earned his GED. He was chosen as Most Likely to Succeed by his graduating class. He then founded the Dave Thomas Education Center, which provides programs for persons with impairments, a citizenship curriculum, and classes for adults pursuing their GED.