On Thurs., Oct. 13 in Covington, the line of cars at the new Wendy’s stretched from the order pickup window around the new building past the food order lane into the adjacent parking lot.
Wendy’s was founded by Dave Thomas on Nov. 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Today there are more than 6,000 Wendy’s outlets in North America, including more than 300 that are company owned.
Many Wendy’s are located in foreign countries as far away as India and Japan.
Those not company owned are franchised, and more than 90 percent of Wendy’s locations are in the U.S.
Wendy’s is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, and on April 24, 2008, Wendy’s merged with Triarc Companies, Inc., a publically traded company and parent company of Arby’s.
Triarc then became the Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, and today, only Burger King and McDonald’s have more outlets than Wendy’s.
Wendy’s dropped its signature burger, the Big Classic, but McDonald’s kept its Big Mac. Burger King has retained its classic, The Whopper.
Wendy’s was named after Dave Thomas’ fourth child, Melinda Lou “Wendy” Thomas, and Dave began franchising his business in 1972.
The first Wendy’s closed in downtown Columbus, Ohio in 2007, five years after Dave’s death.
Wendy’s is known for its hamburgers that feature square hamburger patties on round buns, chicken sandwiches, salads, French fries and frozen desserts, including the Frosty.
The great John Havlicek, a basketball star at Ohio State University who went on to star with the Boston Celtics, was one of Dave’s earliest investors, and the investments he made in Wendy’s enabled him to enjoy a sizable income stream during his retirement, proving that one man’s dream can result in another man’s fortune.
