Wendy's is a chain of fast food restaurants founded by the late
Dave Thomas and now owned by the
United States giant,
Wendy's International, Inc.[?]. The first Wendy's restaurant was opened in
Columbus, Ohio on
November 15,
1969, and grew rapidly to open over 3,000 stores by 1985. The restaurant chain purportedly was named after Dave Thomas's daughter. Starting on
January 9,
1984 elderly actress
Clara Peller was featured in the successful "Where's the Beef?" commercial campaign for Wendy's.
Wendy's International, Inc. is also the owner of the Tim Hortons donut franchise in Canada and the United States.