Wendy’s announces closure of approximately 300 stores nationwide
Fast food chain Wendy’s plans to close hundreds more just a year after closing 140 stores.
The “Wendy” of Wendy’s restaurants knows a thing or two about the pressures and responsibilities that come with being the face of an empire.
Melinda Lou “Wendy” Thomas Morse, daughter of the late restaurant mogul Dave Thomas, said in an interview with People that neither she nor her father knew how big the family business would become, but later came to realize the weight of their namesake.
What started as a “quick service chain” known for its square beef patties and frosty desserts is now the third largest burger chain in the country.
“Probably 10 years before my dad died, we talked about my name and my namesake, and he just said, ‘I’m so sorry for what I did to you.’ It was really… It was really hard to hear your dad say, ‘Maybe you should have named it Dave, it would have been a lot easier,'” she told the outlet.
The conversation was a “really great moment” and the franchise owner said it was what kept her going. Now, when she looks at the sign, all she sees is her father.
“So when I see this sign now, it reminds me a lot of my dad, because he’s there in spirit,” Wendy Thomas told the magazine. “That’s why we try to do it Dave’s way every day. I hope he understands that.”
Who is Wendy Thomas?
Wendy Thomas, the daughter of Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas, has been the “face” and namesake of the brand since its inception.
“First of all, yes, Wendy is a real person. And a pretty special person,” Wendy’s wrote on its website. “Today, she is one of Wendy’s most involved and successful franchise owners. I’m sure Dave would be proud.”
According to the New York Times, Dave Thomas named his first hamburger restaurant, then located at 257 East Broad Street, after his 8-year-old daughter’s nickname, “Wendy.”
According to the Times, her siblings called her Wendy because they had trouble pronouncing her name and called her “Wenda.”
Dave Thomas also “prepared her, freckled, in a blue-and-white striped dress and red-and-white striped socks, to greet her first guests,” the Times reported.
Like the logo, the name stuck and the rest is history.
