khaosworks | Jan. 9th, 2002

Wendy's Founder Dave Thomas Dies of Cancer

Wendy's International Inc. founder Dave Thomas, the smiling, down-to-earth everyman who personified the No. 3 U.S. hamburger chain through more than 10 years of self-effacing television commercials, has died at age 69, the company said on Tuesday.

Thomas died early Tuesday of liver cancer at his Florida home, the Dublin, Ohio-based company said. He had suffered from cancer for more than a decade, underwent heart bypass surgery in 1996 and had been on kidney dialysis treatment since last year.

I don't usually give a toss about fast food, but I remember Wendy's fondly as the only fast food chain in Singapore I actually enjoyed going to. The main reason was that it was the only chain that actually customized your burger to your request - and had freshly cut onions, in rings, on the burgers, in addition to a fresh salad bar. The burgers weren't as greasy as McDonald's, either and had a better texture.

Sadly, Wendy's didn't survive very long in Singapore, but I remember the adolescent excitement of going to Wendy's a decade after when I went to the US. Affordable, not too shabby for a fast food burger joint, and of course the best part was seeing Dave Thomas in the ads smiling beatifically. He put a human face on a generally faceless corporate industry that will be long remembered. I'll have a Wendyburger, please, no lettuce and tomato, extra onions, and a chocolate Frosty...