Dave Thomas: Building Wendy’s
This video tells the story of Dave Thomas, the man who started Wendy’s. He started with only $40. Many people thought his business would not work because he had high prices. But today, Wendy’s has more than 7,000 locations in many countries.
Dave Thomas was born in 1932. His mother left him when he was a baby. He did not have a good family life and moved a lot. His favorite part of the day was eating hamburgers at restaurants. He decided he wanted to open his own restaurant one day.
When he was 10, he started working. He worked many small jobs. He learned a lot about restaurants. He dropped out of school in 10th grade because he wanted to work. He joined the military and worked in the mess hall, learning to cook for many people.
Later, he met Colonel Sanders, who started KFC. Dave helped Colonel Sanders to sell more chicken. He helped open takeout sections for chicken. This made him a millionaire.
Dave was not happy just managing restaurants. He wanted to open his own burger restaurant. He named it Wendy’s after his daughter. Wendy’s focused on good quality food, like fresh hamburgers. He also made the first drive-through windows a big success. Wendy’s grew very fast and became very successful. Dave also started a foundation to help adopted children.
Vocabulary Table
| Term | Pronunciation | Definition | Used in sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wendy’s | /WEN-deez/ | A fast food restaurant. | When Dave Thomas launched Wendy’s in |
| business | /BIZ-nes/ | A company that buys and sells things. | business, learning the rhythm of the |
| prices | /PRI-sez/ | The amount of money you pay for something. | predicted Wendy’s high burger prices |
| locations | /LOH-kay-shuns/ | Places where something is located. | more than $7,000 locations across 30 |
| countries | /KUN-treekz/ | Areas of land with their own government. | countries, [music] |
| hamburgers | /HAM-bur-gurz/ | A patty of ground meat, usually beef, served in a sliced bun. | his favorite food, hamburgers. |
| restaurants | /RES-tuh-rahnts/ | Places where you can buy and eat a meal. | eat. However, eating at restaurants |
| jobs | /JOBS/ | Paid work. | [music] So, he took several odd jobs |
| people | /PEE-pul/ | Human beings. | were places where people felt safe and |
| takeout | /TAK-owt/ | Food bought from a restaurant to be eaten elsewhere. | takeout chicken orders. By doing this, |
| millionaire | /MIL-yuh-nair/ | A person whose assets are worth one million dollars or more. | pocket to becoming a millionaire. For |
| quality | /KWAL-uh-tee/ | The standard of something as measured against other things of a similar kind. | spent [music] quality time with their |
| drive-through | /DRAIV-throo/ | A service that allows customers to get products without leaving their car. | a drive-through pickup window on the |
| foundation | /FOWN-DAY-shun/ | An organization that gives money to good causes. | Columbus merely laid the foundation for |
| children | /CHILD-run/ | Young human beings. | their children’s faces, and laugh |
Vocabulary Flashcards
Lexical Focus: Collocations & Chunks
Don’t just learn isolated words—learn chunks of language. These patterns will help you speak more naturally.
- fast food restaurantNoun PhraseAmerica didn’t need another fast food restaurant.
- abandoned byVerb PhraseHe was abandoned by his mother.
- dropped out of schoolVerb PhraseHe dropped out of school and struggled to hold down a job.
- hold down a jobVerb PhraseHe struggled to hold down a job.
- made up his mindIdiomHe’d already made up his mind.
- work ethicNoun PhraseHe had developed an incredible work ethic.
- change his lifeVerb PhraseHe met a man who would change his life.
- secret recipeNoun PhraseHis secret recipe, pressure fried chicken.
- pulling inVerb PhraseThe karaio section was pulling in $3,000 to $4,000 on Sundays alone.
- turn intoVerb PhraseEverything he had worked so hard for was going to crumble just as quickly as it had risen.
De-chunking
1. Critics said America didn’t need another .
2. Dave Thomas was his mother.
3. He in 10th grade.
4. Dave had a strong .
5. KFC has a for its chicken.
While Viewing Tasks
Guided Notes: Fill in the Gaps
Complete the sentences with words from the video.
1. Dave Thomas started with only .
2. His favorite food was .
3. He met Colonel Sanders, who started .
4. He named his after his .
5. was one of the first to have a successful .
True or False
Decide if the statements are True or False.
1. Dave Thomas started Wendy’s with a lot of money.
True False
2. His favorite food was pizza.
True False
3. He met Colonel Sanders who started McDonald’s.
True False
4. Wendy’s is named after his daughter.
True False
5. Wendy’s was one of the first fast food places to have a drive-through.
True False
Checklist
Check these items as you watch the video.
Embedded Video:
Fill in the Blanks Exercise
1. Dave Thomas launched in 1969 with just .
2. He was by his .
3. His favorite part of the day was eating at .
4. At 8 years old, he decided to open his own .
5. He of in 10th grade.
6. He volunteered to work in the in the military.
7. He met Colonel Sanders, the of .
8. Dave helped pioneer the first dedicated .
9. He sold his shares in KFC, becoming a .
10. He named his new after his .
11. focused on , fresh .
12. Dave kept the .
13. became one of the first to make the concept a huge success.
14. The campaign “Where’s the beef?” increased .
15. He founded the Dave Thomas for in 1992.
Vocabulary Quiz
Fact or Fiction Quiz
Extension Activities
Individual Activity Easy
Draw your favorite fast food item from Wendy’s or another restaurant.
Pair Activity Medium
Talk with a friend: What is your favorite fast food restaurant? Why do you like it?
Group Activity Hard
Discuss as a group: What makes a fast food restaurant successful?