Updated Jan 29, 2009 - 8:57 am
Getting Through It: Dick's celebrates 55 years
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KIRO Radio
It's the best 55th birthday present a company could ask for: booming business. For over five decades, customers keep going back to Dick's Drive-In.
"I used to go to Dick's Drive-In up on Capitol Hill. Like most 19-year-olds back in the 60's, I was very, very poor. They had great burgers at a great price," said one man standing in line at the U-District restaurant.
"I actually turned 18 in this parking lot with a bunch of my friends. We were screaming and yelling," said a woman celebrating the restaurant's anniversary.
Dick Spady started the company when he saw drive-ins gaining popularity in California. He had a little money and a big dream. "We had to figure 'Well it works in California, lots of cars and it doesn't rain much, but in Seattle not so many cars and lots of rain.' Will it work?"
Dick's son Jim now runs the stores. "We've been here a long time. People know us. We don't have to spend a lot of time on advertising, which keeps our costs down. Everybody else has indoor seating and we just have indoor seating in one restaurant. That's more expensive and it gives us a little competitive edge against the big boys."
Jim credits the young, hard workers you see through the windows. "You make it 55 years by making the right decision every day, every week, every month, and every year for decades. If you do that and you focus on your customers and your employees, you can succeed. We're proof of that."
"I've never thought of it in terms of longevity, but it's been a love affair from the first. I appreciate the support of the community," said Dick Spady.
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