PART ONE: THE BOY

“I believe if you really try, you can accomplish anything you want.” - Dave Thomas

On July 2, 1932, Mollie gave birth to a healthy boy. She was a single mother working as a waitress in the area around Philadelphia. She knew she couldn’t take care of her newborn. So, her family put him up for adoption. Six weeks later, he was adopted by Rex and Auleva Thomas and moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan. They named him R. David (after Rex). 

Rex was a laborer who moved from town to town looking for work. Auleva and her infant tagged along. It was the Great Depression and jobs were scarce. Rex was strict and demanding and young David would soon learn his father had no problem using whips if he thought his son was out of line. Thus began a difficult period in Dave’s life where he faced severe loneliness, neglect, and abuse. 

When Dave was 5, Auleva died from rheumatic fever. It deeply hurt him. He didn’t know what death was, but he knew she was gone. Rex paid little attention to his son and Dave felt lonely all the time. He knew he was different because he didn’t look like Rex nor Auleva.  

Luckily, he had Grandma Minnie (Auleva’s mother) who he would visit in the summers. She opened her arms to embrace Dave with love and affection. She explained the meaning of words like quality, honesty, integrity, determination, hard work and doing the right things. She would say, “Never Cut Corners,” which meant put quality into everything you do in life. Don’t take shortcuts. Minnie and Dave often talked about making the most out of the little they had. 

Being with Minnie were the happiest times of Dave’s youth.  

In between wives (Rex had four), he would take his son to neighborhood restaurants. It was the only time Dave had dad all to himself. Young Dave fell in love with the taste of hamburgers, with onions, pickles, and mustard. He even had dreams of eating hamburgers! 

Sometimes when he visited Grandma Minnie, he would watch her work at a family restaurant. Young Dave was awed by the hustle and bustle in the kitchens as cooks and chefs prepared meals. He loved watching families dine together. He saw how happy they were eating out, maybe for a special occasion. He yearned to have a family like those he saw enjoying Sunday dinner. He decided someday he would own his hamburger place, but he didn’t have a clue how to make it happen.