How Wendy's' Founder Really Felt About Using His Daughter As Fast Food Inspiration

The red-headed, pig-tailed girl we all know from Wendy's famous logo wasn't dreamed up by an advertising agency, but was based on the real-life daughter of the fast food chain's founder. It was Dave Thomas' own idea to name the restaurant after his young daughter and use a stylized image of her as the company mascot, but it's something he later came to regret. 

Wendy Thomas spoke about her father's change of heart in an interview on Wendy's official blog to mark its 50th anniversary in 2019. She revealed that her father apologized before his death in 2002, telling her, "I should've just named it after myself because it put a lot of pressure on you." She acknowledged feeling pressure, explaining it was more about wanting to do the right thing by her father and his legacy.

Wendy said that was the first time they'd ever spoken about it, but her father had written about his misgivings a decade earlier in his 1991 autobiography, "Dave's Way," saying that it had cost his daughter some of her privacy. He further wrote that she sometimes felt she had to censor what she said because some people thought she was a Wendy's spokesperson. However, Wendy did grow up to become involved in her father's business, eventually owning more than 30 of the franchises that carry her name. She's also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption established by her late father, who was himself an adoptee.

Despite his later misgivings, Dave Thomas was confident about using his daughter's name and image when he opened his first hamburger restaurant in Columbus, Ohio, in 1969. Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland Sanders was a mentor to him, and he'd been the successful owner of four KFC franchises. Through that, he'd seen how effective Sanders' persona had been for the chicken chain, and he wanted a similar figure to give an identity to his restaurant.

Thomas considered each of his five children before deciding on 8-year-old Melinda, nicknamed Wendy because her brothers and sisters had trouble saying her name and it came out as "Wenda," which became Wendy. She said in the interview that he didn't do any market research, just had her put her hair in pigtails — which she revealed had pipe cleaners in them so they'd stick out — took some pictures, and made the decision to call the restaurant Wendy's Old-Fashioned Hamburgers and make her its face.

Thomas believed the name and logo would help the company project an image of old-time values, producing hamburgers the way they used to be made. He wanted to appeal to young adults, believing they'd pay more for burgers made with fresh beef and being able to choose their toppings. Whether it was his strategy, the food, or both, Wendy's was a success and Thomas began franchising in 1973. There are now more than 7,000 Wendy's locations serving its trademark square hamburgers, salty french fries, and newer offerings like Frosty Cream Cold Brews in three flavors.