Dave Thomas was born in 1932 in New Jersey and was raised by adopted parents. He did not graduate high school but later earned his GED. Thomas served in the army during the Korean War, working in food production. After the war, he helped turn around the struggling KFC business. In 1969, Thomas founded the first Wendy's restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. Wendy's grew to become the third most popular fast food chain in the US under Thomas's leadership. He appeared in many Wendy's TV commercials in the 1990s. In 1992, Thomas also started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to help foster children.