Happy Birthday America and Dave!

With the Fourth of July weekend upon us, we here at The Square Deal wanted to take a beat and wish America a big ‘ol Happy Birthday! 

And coincidentally, we’ll celebrate Dave Thomas’ birthday this weekend too! Dave was born on July 2, 1932 and would have turned 84 this Saturday. 

When thinking of what to write to honor both the 4th and Dave’s birthday, I reached out to my friend and former colleague, Denny Lynch, for some inspiration. 

While Denny is currently enjoying retirement, he’s a self-proclaimed “Wendy’s-lifer” as he spent the majority of his career leading the Wendy’s® communications department and serving as Dave’s right-hand man.

Denny had this to share about Dave’s birthday and love for our country:

"Dave was very patriotic.  He joined the Army at age 17 and was assigned duty in Germany, in a cook and baker’s school…where he learned to cook for hundreds of people at a time.  He truly believed that he could only achieve his business success because he lived in a free country, and he never took his freedoms for granted.

But before starting Wendy’s, Dave spent most of the 4th of July’s — WORKING….either at the diners in Knoxville, TN or Ft Worth, IN when he was a teenager, or at the KFCs in Columbus.  Many customers ordered carry out food for their family picnics.  It was a busy holiday and Dave had to serve his customers.  Dave wasn’t able to take much vacation time, so most years he had to work on his birthday too. 

Dave never forgot his early business experiences and often would stop in a nearby Wendy’s over the holiday to thank the manager and crew for serving our customers.

In his later years, Dave and his wife Lorraine bought a home at Buckeye Lake, outside of Columbus.  They had their own private island and Dave and Lorraine would invite their children and grandchildren to enjoy the holidays.  They were finally able to enjoy family outings over the traditional holidays.  And it was a time for his grandchildren to spend quality time with grandpa and grandma." 

-- Denny Lynch

Thanks, Denny!

While I am most certain your holiday plan involves a delicious Frosty® in one hand and a Dave’s single in the other, I also hope your weekend is filled with barbecues, parades, cotton candy, fireworks and other annual traditions that make this holiday special to you and your community.

Take time to celebrate the many freedoms we all enjoy and give thanks to the service men and women who continue to fight, serve and protect our great nation. 

Happy 4th of July!

Bry