Who is Wendy Thomas? Age, daughter, partner, commercial, career, profiles, worth
Melinda Lou Thomas, aka Wendy, is not your ordinary rich kid daddy's girl; she has a stern, hard-working demeanour, evident from her owning and co-owning more than 30Wendy's stores. She has managed to carry her father's legacy even after his death. Who and how old is Wendy Thomas from Wendy's now? Get all the details right here.
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Is Wendy Thomas rich? Melinda is a phenomenal woman with an impressive networth of $100 million. She has done several commercials boosting her business, but she was not always in front of a camera. Most people may not know that she had a problem pronouncing L and R, which led to her nickname being Wendy and the rest, as they always say, is history.
Wendy Thomas profiles
| Name | Melinda Lou Thomas |
| Birthdate | September 14th 1961 |
| Place of birth | Columbus, Ohio, U.S |
| Wendy Thomas age | 61 years as of 2022 |
| Child | McKenzie Morse |
| Parents | Dave Thomas, Lorraine Thomas |
| Siblings | Pam, Molly, Ken and Lori Thomas |
| Height | 173 cm |
| Spouse | Paul Morse |
| Net worth | $100 million |
Early life and Education
Melinda Lou Thomas was born in Columbus, Ohio, but she grew up in Upper Arlington, Ohio. How old is Wendy from the restaurant? She will be 61 years old in September 2022. Melinda is the fourth and last born of her parents, Dave and Lorraine Thomas. Wendy's siblings are Pam, Molly, Ken and Lori Thomas.
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Interestingly, Melinda could not pronounce her L's and R's as a child, to the point where pronouncing her name Melinda was a challenge. This led to her being known by her nickname Wendy (with the pen-pin merger).
What started as a nickname led the 8-year-old Melinda to become the namesake of her father's restaurant, Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, or just Wendy's for short. Out of all of Dave Thomas's children, she was the one who shared her name with his restaurant.
Furthermore, her likeness was also used as the Wendy's girl logo in the form of a young freckled-faced girl in red braids. She graduated from the University of Florida in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in consumer behaviourism.
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Career
After college, her father asked her if she had ever thought about being a Wendy's franchisee. She deliberated with her husband and eventually accepted. Her dad sent her essential contacts,, and that was the beginning of her career and carrying on her father's legacy.
Franchising
Melinda did the legwork by going through the proper channels to get a loan for her new Wendy's franchise. She then went to GE capital and faked it till she made it, especially with the financing. Nothing was handed down to her, which is very inspiring.
Melinda owned several restaurants near Dallas, Texas, until 1999. After her father died in 2002, she and her siblings bought restaurants in her native Columbus area. From September 2010, Melinda owned or co-owned more than 30 restaurant stores.
Wendy's commercials
Despite Melinda pulling several strings in the company, she did not appear in the commercials until November 2010. Before this, the first time she was on camera was in a 1989 advertisement, but it was just her voice giving her dad advice off camera. The 2010 advert aired first in Las Vegas, Nevada; Mobile, Alabama; and Virginia beach; as a test for the markets before being rolled out nationally.
And that's not all; since 2012, she has treated us to several Wendy Thomas commercial appearances. She has starred in several ads for the restaurant chain called Wendy's Way. These commercials show the quality values in ingredients, preparation and service her father established. She has also appeared in Dave's Hot N Juicy cheeseburger, a commercial produced by Kaplan Thaler Group and a favourite item on their menu.
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Personal Life
Melinda has been married twice. Her first husband was the late Gary Floto. They were married till his death, and she is currently married to Paul Morse. Wendy Thomas's daughter is Mckenzie Morse.
Wendy Thomas's net worth
Melinda is a very successful businesswoman with a whopping net worth of $100 million who currently lives in Texas. Dave Thomas, her father, apologized to her for putting her name on the brand due to the pressure it placed on her, especially since the chain was started when she was a young girl. She agreed with his sentiments, but she is very proud of the brand's position today.
Her father's inspiration to attach a character to his restaurant came from his experience working for Kentucky Fried Chicken. He knew how much that persona mattered, and that is why the restaurant became such a success. In addition, her father was a marketing genius in his prime who instilled in her hard work, passion and self-drive.
Latest News
The Wendy's chain faces a massive rise in stock after it became a takeover target. This comes after news outlets revealed that one of their major investors, Peltz, is exploring buying the entire business.
Wendy Thomas is highly passionate about the restaurants, even stating that it is family for her. However, she has managed to keep her personal life private and left the spotlight for the restaurants. Remarkably, her father's legacy and dream have lived on even through his daughter.
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Source: Briefly News
