Dick's Drive-In

Dick's Drive-In, or simply Dick's, is a fast-food restaurant chain located in the Seattle, Washington area. It was founded in 1954 by Dick Spady and others. It currently operates seven locations in the Puget Sound region.

Dick's Drive-In
TypePrivate
IndustryFast food
FoundedWallingford, Seattle, Washington (1954)
FoundersDick Spady, H. Warren Ghormley, B. O. A. Thomas
HeadquartersSeattle, Washington, U.S.
Number of locations
7
Key people
Jim Spady (CEO)
ProductsHamburgers, fries, shakes, sodas, and ice cream.
Websitewww.ddir.com/

History
Dick's original location in Wallingford on a summer night.

Founders Dick Spady, H. Warren Ghormley, and Dr. B. O. A. Thomas opened the first Dick's on January 28, 1954, in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood, on N.E. 45th Street.[1] A grand opening was held on February 20, 1954.[2] In 1955, a second Dick's was opened in Seattle's Capitol Hill district. This was followed by a third in 1960 in the Crown Hill neighborhood, a 4th in 1963 in Lake City, a fifth in Queen Anne in 1974. All but the Queen Anne location are without customer seating. The Queen Anne location has indoor tables and no drive-in.

The simple menu has changed little over time. It features fast-food staples such as hamburgers, hand-cut french fries, and individually made milkshakes. Dick's is particularly well known for the "Dick's Deluxe," which includes lettuce, mayonnaise, and chopped pickles. No substitutions are allowed and all burgers are cooked to well done. For most of Dick's history, the only available omissions were the Deluxe without cheese or fries without salt.[3][4] More recent menu changes, however, allow ordering plain versions of the hamburger and cheeseburger.[5]

For several years Dick's has offered employee benefits such as a matched 401(k), 100% employer-paid medical insurance, and a $22,000 college tuition scholarship after six months of work.[6] In 2013, Dick's Drive-In was voted "the most life-changing burger joint in America" in an Esquire.com poll.[7]

In September 2010, it was announced that Dick's was planning on opening a new sixth location in the Seattle area and that an online poll on their website would determine the new location.[8] After a few weeks of polling, the area north of Seattle won the right for a new Dick's Drive-In. On October 15, 2010, Dick's officials announced the new location to be in Edmonds on the corner of Hwy 99 and 220th St.[9] On October 20, 2011, the 6th location in Edmonds opened to the public.[10] The opening occurred multiple weeks ahead of schedule.

In 2017, Dick's launched another poll to determine its seventh location, which would be located either on the Eastside or in South King County.[11] Over 177,000 participants cast their votes, with the majority favoring the South region.[12] Locations being considered included Kent, West Seattle, South Seattle, Renton, Burien, SeaTac, Tukwila, Auburn, Normandy Park, Des Moines and Federal Way.[13] After an extensive amount of time, it was announced on September 7, 2017 that the 7th location to the chain would be located in Kent on Highway 99,[14] 5 miles (8 km) south of Sea-Tac Airport. The location opened on December 12, 2018.[15]

In September 2020, Dick's announced that it would launch a food truck to serve five locations in Western Washington that were chosen through a public poll: Bellevue, Bellingham, Everett, Renton, and West Seattle. The restaurant also announced that it would be expanding to the Eastside once a suitable location is found.[16] A collaboration with local chef Edouardo Jordan of Salare and JuneBaby was also announced with a three-day popup event at the Queen Anne location.[17]

Locations

There is also an unrelated Dick's Hamburgers restaurant in Spokane.[19] Although this is a drive-in, operated in much the same manner as the six drive-in locations of the Seattle chain (and with a larger menu), it is not affiliated with Dick's Drive-In.[20]

See also

References
  1. "H. Warren Ghormley, 84, co-founder of Dick's | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  2. Cole, Gina; Clarridge, Christine (February 20, 2019). "Dick's Drive-In opened 65 years ago, back when a hamburger, fries and a shake cost 51 cents". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  3. Kelly, Leslie (May 23, 2008). "The trick at Dick's? Hold the cheese on a deluxe burger". Seattle PI. Retrieved November 30, 2009.
  4. Spady, Richard; O'Connor, Kathleen L. (2012). Spady, John (ed.). Dick Spady: A Life of Visions and Values. pp. 39–42. ISBN 978-0615496405.
  5. "Menu". Dick's. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  6. Spady, Richard; O'Connor, Kathleen L. (2012). Spady, John (ed.). Dick Spady: A Life of Visions and Values. pp. 43–44. ISBN 978-0615496405.
  7. "Secrets of the Most Life Changing Burger Joint". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved April 14, 2013.
  8. McNerthey, Casey (August 31, 2010). "Dick's Drive-In to open new location". Seattle Post-Intelligencer Business Journal. Seattle. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  9. "A new Dick's Drive-In is coming to Edmonds!" (Press release). Dick's Drive In. October 15, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  10. "Fire up those grills! It's time to OPEN! Dick's Drive-Ins announces Grand Opening for new Edmonds location - Dick's Drive In". Dick's Drive In. October 18, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  11. Gutman, David (March 6, 2017). "Dick's Drive-In to open new location — and you can vote on where". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  12. "Dick's Drive-In to build new location south of Seattle". KIRO 7 News. March 27, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  13. Hunter, Steve (April 12, 2017). "Kent promotes West Hill site for new Dick's Drive-In". Kent Reporter. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  14. "A new Dick's Drive-In is coming to Kent! Company announces agreement to purchase property in the Midway Shopping Center, just south of the Kent-Des Moines Hwy and Highline College". Dick's Drive In. September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  15. Hunter, Steve (December 12, 2018). "Dick's Drive-In celebrates grand opening in Kent". Kent Reporter. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  16. Ausley, Christina (September 30, 2020). "Seattle's Dick's Drive-In food truck announces surprising first stops; new restaurant location". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  17. Ausley, Christina (September 24, 2020). "Famed Seattle chef to join Dick's Drive-In for October pop-up". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  18. Gering, David (April 24, 1988). "Nostalgia to go: Dick's has been Seattle's taste in burgers for nearly 35 years". The Seattle Times. p. K1.
  19. "Dick's Hamburgers". Yelp. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
  20. Clement, Bethany Jean (January 13, 2016). "Co-founder of Dick's Drive-In gave us famed burgers — and so much more". The Seattle Times. p. A1. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
  21. Marino, Nick. "Geek Love: Sir Mix-A-Lot". CMJ New Music Monthly (May 2002)
  22. Hess, Mickey (2009) Hip-Hop in America: A Regional Guide
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