Wendy’s is a well-known fast food chain in the US, easily identifiable by its logo featuring a cheerful girl with brown pigtails.
Many may not know that this girl is Wendy Thomas Morse, the daughter of Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s.
Dave Thomas decided to name his restaurant after one of his five children when Wendy was only eight years old.
Ultimately, Wendy was selected, and a photoshoot captured her with the iconic pigtails and gingham dress that inspired the logo.
The restaurant achieved great success, and Wendy’s image became synonymous with the brand as new franchises opened across the country.
This fame, however, brought its own challenges.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Wendy shared that being recognized as the face of Wendy’s could be challenging.
“I mean, there were times I didn’t want people to know because I didn’t want them to have assumptions,” she explained.
She also felt a unique responsibility tied to the business due to her role as its namesake.
“But it was something I really took on as a responsibility and just was very proud,” Wendy stated. “But I would never, if I met a lot of new people, I would never tell them who I was. It’s usually someone else that says it. And then it gets awkward and then it gets all better.”
Her father, Dave, later expressed some regret for naming the restaurant after her because of the impact it had on her life.
“Probably 10 years before my dad passed, we talked about my name and namesake, and he just goes, ‘I’m really sorry I did that to you,’ which was really… to hear your father say, ‘Probably should just named it Dave’s and that’d been a lot easier,’ was a lot,” she shared.
Despite not holding it against him, Wendy appreciated her father’s acknowledgement of the situation.
“And I said, ‘Well, of course, but that’s a long time ago.’ But it was just nice to hear that he felt for me a little bit, like the pressure and the responsibility of being the namesake of a restaurant,” she commented.
After her father’s passing, Wendy found solace in the restaurant’s sign.
“That was just a really cool moment for me and my dad,” she reflected. “So it just keeps me going. And today, I look at the sign and I just see my dad.”