Dave Thomas: A Chicken Nugget Genius

Hello friends. This week I stumbled across a great Knoxvillian man named Dave Thomas. To say Dave Thomas is a great man is an understatement; for Dave Thomas is the creator of the Wendy's Restaurant chain.

For those of you that are unaware, I really like chicken nuggets...like a lot! And my favorite fast food chicken nugget is from Wendy's. Now I know that we all have different opinions but I know that I personally swipe my Volcard at the Wendy's located on the strip numerous times a month...And without Dave Thomas, that would not be possible.

So who is Dave Thomas? Well, Dave Thomas is originally from Atlantic City, New Jersey where he lived with his adopted parents, Rex and Auleva. His mother passed away when he was five so he and his father moved around quite a bit and they settled wherever his father could find work. One of those places that they settled was Knoxville, TN. It was in Knoxville that Dave began working at Regas Restaurant at the young age of 12 and this was his start in the restaurant industry. He was fired from this job...but that did not stop him. Dave did not complete his high school education on a normal track but did go back to get a GED later on in his life. From there he started working at KFC where he moved through senior management and he served as a Regional Director for the company.

Then came his next endeavor...WENDY'S  (and the fast food giant is still generating the big bucks today across the world-I saw one in NZ)!

Fun Fact: Wendy's is named after Dave Thomas's daughter, Melinda Lou!

Dave Thomas was a businessman that made Knoxville proud and makes me proud on a weekly basis. Without him, I would not be able to eat a Wendy's chicken nugget. Thank you Dave!