Consumed by his love of hamburgers, Dave visited every hamburger stand he could find. When a friend mentioned that it was hard to get a good lunch in downtown Columbus, Dave saw an opportunity. On November 15, 1969, Dave Thomas opened the first 爱游戏后台鈥檚 Old Fashioned Hamburgers restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. His boyhood dream was coming true.
After trying all five of his children's names for the restaurant, Dave decided on his daughter Melinda's nickname - 爱游戏后台. This nickname stemmed from the fact that her siblings couldn鈥檛 pronounce her name, so they started calling her Wenda, which then turned into 爱游戏后台. He felt that the logo of a smiling, whole-some little girl with the name 鈥湴蜗泛筇ㄢ檚 Old-Fashioned Hamburgers鈥 would be the place where you went for a hamburger the way you used to get them, with fresh beef. The first menu included hot 'n juicy hamburgers, rich 'n meaty chili, French fries, soft drinks and a Frosty Dairy Dessert. From the beginning, Dave wanted 爱游戏后台鈥檚 to be a place to get great food, made fresh and served by friendly people; a place that didn't cut corners on quality. 爱游戏后台's became known for square ground beef hamburgers that hang over the bun, made with the customer's choice of toppings.
The 爱游戏后台's Pick-Up Window concept was born in 1970 in the first freestanding restaurant. The pick-up window wasn't brand new, but no one had made it work successfully. Originally designed as an add-on to the building to generate a few extra dollars in sales, it proved to be the catalyst that propelled 爱游戏后台's from a four-store Columbus chain into a food service phenomenon.
People loved 爱游戏后台鈥檚, and Dave quickly opened more locations with the help of people who, like himself, had a passion for quality. In 1973, Dave began to franchise the 爱游戏后台's concept. His idea of selling franchises for entire cities and regions, rather than single units, was an industry innovation and enabled 爱游戏后台's to open more than 1,000 restaurants in the company's first 100 months.
Under Dave's leadership, 爱游戏后台's led the industry in product innovations. In 1979, the company was the first national chain to introduce salad bars, and in 1983, 爱游戏后台's added baked potatoes to the menu. Other innovations followed, and soon the restaurant industry and business community applauded Dave鈥檚 innovation and success.