Dave Thomas (left) will replace the deceased Dave Thomas in Wendy's ads.

Dave Thomas to replace Dave Thomas as Wendy's spokesman

"We're very excited to have Dave Thomas on board," said Schuessler. "He's a real affable, down-to-earth kind of guy, just like Dave Thomas was. Of course, there will never be another Dave Thomas, but I think America will grow to love Dave Thomas as much as they loved Dave Thomas."

Thomas, who founded Wendy's in 1969 and first began appearing in commercials in 1971, passed away Jan. 8 after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Thomas, who is best known for his work on the 1970s sketch-comedy show SCTV and the 1983 movie Strange Brew, said he was delighted to be appointed as the new Wendy's spokesman.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for me to add on to my spare tire," joked Thomas at the press conference. "I'm hoping I can get my cholesterol numbers up as high as my salary. I've been off work for a while, and this sure beats hanging around in strip clubs, I think."

Schuessler said several factors were examined before Dave Thomas was chosen from a long list of potential candidates.

"We needed someone who was familiar to the American public without being overexposed, like (KFC pitchman) Jason Alexander. At the same time, we needed to consider the current economic climate and refrain from spending our entire advertising budget on some prima donna superstar. Ultimately, we went with Thomas simply because he's popular with our demographic core and he tested well in focus groups. Plus, now we don't have to reprint all of our office stationary and business cards."

May 2002