The Quiz: Who did Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas name the franchise and mascot after?
His cat
His favorite actress
His daughter
His neighbor
In 1969, Dave Thomas opened his first Wendy’s in Columbus, Ohio. Thomas reportedly wanted to name the restaurant after one of his children, but none of his five children’s names — Pam, Ken, Molly, Melinda Lou, and Lori — seemed to work for him. He finally decided to use Melinda Lou’s nickname “Wendy” (from Wenda, something her younger siblings called her). Melinda also modeled for the mascot picture in their family home with her mother putting pipe cleaner in Wendy’s redhead pigtails to give them their signature flare.
The correct answer to this quiz is His daughter.