Dick Spady, founder of Dick’s Drive-In. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times)

On January 28, 1954, Dick Spady (1923-2016) and his partners opened the first Dick’s Drive-In in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood, with the goal of offering a ‘classic meal’ of a burger, steak, and fries at a drive-through facility. Next came Dick’s Drive-Ins on Broadway, on Holman Road, and in Lake City. Dick’s Drive-Ins have become the longest continually operated fast-food restaurants in the Pacific Northwest. In 2012 the City of Seattle issued a Mayoral Proclamation of Dick’s Drive-In Day. Dick Spady: A Life of Vision and Values documents his life and times.

In 1974, Dick’s Queen Anne place opened at 500 Queen Anne Avenue N. — the original site of the Motor-In Market grocery store (which opened in 1930). It became the first and only Dick’s Drive-In location to feature indoor seating .

In 2013, Dick’s celebrated its 60th anniversary and published 60 Years of Memories, a book featuring recollections by folks of all ages. Among Queen Anne stories:

*78-year-old Gretchen Swanson recalls “As a regular customer at Dick’s on Queen Anne, my biggest thrill was seeing Governor Gary Locke and his wife Mona Lee eating hamburgers just like the rest of us.”
*Others remember shared special moments at Dick’s before and after attending events at Seattle Center and the Coliseum/Key (soon Climate Pledge) Arena.
*Defensive superstar Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks visited the Queen Anne Dick’s on Veterans Day 2012.
Reference: “Dick’s Dynasty: Taking over from his dad, Jim Spady ’83 kept Seattle’s favorite burger joint jumping” (University of Washington Magazine March 2021)