This chain of hamburger restaurants was started by Dave Thomas in 1969, who contemplated retirement in 1982. The fast food market turned very competitive by the mid-eighties, and revenues dipped and standards slipped at the chain's restaurants. In response to the slowdown in the chain's performance, Wendy's restructured its cleanliness standards, menu and other operational details to ensure that stores met the goals and standards of the parent company and that its franchises were competitive in the market. James Near, who was one of the company's largest franchisees, eventually took over the chief executive role and started the turnaround. He coaxed Dave Thomas out of retirement, back to a part-time role as the company spokesman to win customers with his charm. Soft-spoken and bashful, the "Dave" ads generally focused on Thomas praising his products and offering a commitment to quality service. Thomas ultimately appeared in around 800 commercials, more than any other company founder in television history. Those ads were phenomenally successful and brought in a new rush of customers.In April 2008, the company announced a merger with Triarc Companies, and the entity later came to be known as The Wendy's Company. As of 2016, Wendy's is the world's third largest hamburger fast food chain with 6,503 locations.