THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 10, 1994 TAG: 9410080030
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Maddry
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
WELL, HERE HE COMES now, the Mr. Excitement of the fast food industry, ole Dave Thomas.
You've seen him in the commercials. But imagine the Baron of Bland right here in Hampton Roads. It happened on Friday when Dave ducked into the Wendy's at 3700 Tiffany Lane in Virginia Beach looking as sharp as a razor . . . that dropped behind the sink a couple of decades ago.
Dave shuffles around in his blue pants like a bomb is wired into the seat that will explode if he goes too fast.
And talk about witty. The Wendy's employees are still talking about the bon mots the founder and senior chairman of the restaurant chain dropped on them during his visit last Friday:
Things like: ``Never let your buns get cold.'' And: ``Where did I put my glasses?''
Whatta guy!
They say that nice guys finish last. Dave proved it ain't so. He finished rich - head of a $5-billion global company.
Not bad for an orphan who was adopted at the age of 6 weeks and spent his childhood moving from state to state as his adoptive father sought work.
Dave was in town to hype his new book - ``Well Done'' - which is just as nice and dull as he is. OK, maybe not as dull.
In his book, Dave tells how he began working in restaurants at the age of 6 and made his first fortune - the one that bankrolled the Wendy's chain - after getting to know Col. Harland Sanders.
Here. . . let him tell you in his own words:
``In 1962, I got the chance to move to Columbus, Ohio, to see if I could turn around four failing Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. The Colonel and others told me I was dumb to try, but I did it anyway. It worked. I became an on-paper millionaire as a result and then sold out my interest, becoming rich enough (and whacko enough) to build a swimming pool in our back yard in the shape of a chicken.'' (Friends say he first considered a secretarial pool.)
Dave may be dull and nice. But nobody claims he's stupid. He believes his restaurant chain succeeded because it wasn't smothered to death by good ideas:
``Instead of having 50 good ideas a month and doing them all hit-or-miss, we decided we would have only two or three good ideas and execute the heck out of them.''
Ever notice how when Dave uses the word ``heck,'' he always blushes red. A deep red - the way the Lawrence Welk Orchestra harpist did on the night she attacked ``Holiday For Strings'' too vigorously, knocking over a drum with her foot.
Dave's never forgotten he was an orphan. And now that's he's rich, he spends much of his time working to find homes for orphans nationwide. At the Wendy's restaurant he visited Friday, he hooked up with Susan Allen, the governor's wife, for a photo op. The pair is appearing on posters with kids to promote the state's toll-free adoption hotline.
More than 1,000 children in Virginia need homes, many of them requiring special health care, which their surrendering parents couldn't afford. If you're interested in helping, the number to call is 1-800 Do-Adopt.
Dave and Susan have also collaborated on a public service announcement promoting adoption that will be aired by stations statewide during November. Soon, all Wendy's restaurants will be using tray liners with photos and names of kids across the country needing homes. And the Wendy's restaurants in Tidewater and Richmond will be selling coupon books for Halloween with all proceeds donated to the Children's Home Society of Virginia.
``Adopt a special-needs kid because they grow up to be special,'' Dave says. Warm heart, warm buns. That's old Dave for you. by CNB