Seattle – Burger lovers rejoice! With a backhoe and balloons, Dick Spady, co-founder and namesake of Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., broke ground today at the new site for the first restaurant since 1974. Local dignitaries, Spady family members, and 7 lucky fans helped launch construction for the new Edmonds Dick’s Drive-In. The restaurant is scheduled to open in early December at Highway 99 and 220th Street SW.

“We’ve been welcomed with open arms by the Edmonds community. Now comes the really fun part where we get to watch a new drive-in take shape and become a part of the neighborhood,” said Spady, who turns 88 in October, “We can’t wait to fire up those new grills, fry up the freshly sliced potatoes and whip up the hand-dipped shakes for all of our local north-end customers.”

The winners of the company’s latest Facebook “Fab Fan” contest included stories from “malt girl,” poetry, 5 generations of family memories, and a daddy’s love for his new baby girl, born premature at only 1 pound, 14 ounces. (See the attached Fab Fan winner’s list and contest entries.)

Edmonds Mayor Mike Cooper added, “This is a wonderful day for Dick’s Drive-Ins and for Edmonds. Dick’s is an example of the type of business we hope to continue attracting. I’m already thinking about what I’ll order as my first Dick’s Drive-In meal this December.”

“Dick’s Drive-Ins has a strong reputation for paying their employees well while also offering good benefits,” said Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. “Theirs is the kind of business that we support in Snohomish County, not to mention that they have one of the best burgers in the Northwest.”

Strom Peterson, Edmonds City Council president, said, “While I am looking forward to my first Edmonds Dick’s Deluxe, I know it couldn’t have happened without our Economic Development Director, Stephen Clifton, or the continuing work of our city staff to keep this project on schedule. And, yes, I’ll have fries with that, and maybe a chocolate shake.”

“We join many others in welcoming Dick’s Drive-In to Edmonds,” said Troy Moore, store manager of the neighboring TOP Food & Drug store. “We have plenty of customers who hope construction goes smoothly and they’ll open soon.”

The Edmonds property is located on Highway 99 with easy access from Interstate 5 via 220th Street SW. The new drive-in will be close to Edmonds Community College, Swedish Edmonds Hospital, and Edmonds Stadium. The stadium is home field for all of the high schools in the Edmonds School District including Edmonds-Woodway, Lynnwood, Meadowdale, Mountlake Terrace and Scriber Lake.

“We look forward to making new friends along the way and feeding lots of hungry teenagers and their families after a big game,” Spady said.

Dick’s currently operates five restaurants in Seattle. The original Dick’s Drive-In opened in 1954 on Northeast 45th Street in Wallingford; the Capitol Hill Dick’s opened in 1955, the Crown Hill Dick’s opened in 1960, the Lake City Dick’s opened in 1963 and the lower Queen Anne Dick’sopened in 1974. The new Dick’s in Edmonds will maintain the original restaurant’s iconic 1950’s look and architecture.

Visit the website at www.dicksdrivein.com

Seattle – We’ve heard your cries, read your stories, followed your Facebook posts, and longed for this day too – it’s time for burger fans to rejoice! Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants announced today that it has closed on the purchase of the Edmonds property and construction of the new drive-in is set to begin this week. A groundbreaking ceremony with local dignitaries and company co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady is set for:

Thursday, May 19, 10:30 a.m.
NE corner of the TOP Food & Drug store in Edmonds
Highway 99 and 220th Street SW

“It’s full steam ahead,” said Spady, who turns 88 in October, “building the first restaurant in 37 years is an exciting endeavor and we’ve been welcomed with open arms by the Edmonds community. Now comes the really fun part where we get to watch a new drive-in take shape and become a part of the neighborhood.”

The groundbreaking ceremony is open to the public and burger fans everywhere, and will include the winners of the company’s latest Facebook contest. The “Fab Fan” winners will help represent Dick’s 154,000 “FB friends” at the event by joining Dick Spady to break ground with the ceremonial shovel.

The new Edmonds Dick’s Drive-In is expected to open for business by early December. “We can’t wait to fire up those new grills, fry up the freshly sliced potatoes and whip up the hand-dipped shakes for all of our local north-end customers,” Spady said.

Edmonds Mayor Mike Cooper added, “This is a wonderful day for Dick’s Drive-Ins and for Edmonds. Dick’s is an example of the type of business we hope to continue attracting. I’m already thinking about what I’ll order as my first Dick’s Drive-In meal this fall.”

“Dick’s Drive-Ins has a strong reputation for paying their employees well while also offering good benefits,” said Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon. “Theirs is the kind of business that we support in Snohomish County, not to mention that they have one of the best burgers in the Northwest.”

Strom Peterson, Edmonds City Council president, said, “While I am looking forward to my first Edmonds Dick’s Deluxe, I know it couldn’t have happened without our Economic Development Director, Stephen Clifton, or the continuing work of our city staff to keep this project on schedule. And, yes, I’ll have fries with that, and maybe a chocolate shake.”

“We join many others in welcoming Dick’s Drive-In to Edmonds,” said Troy Moore, store manager of the neighboring TOP Food & Drug store. “We have plenty of customers who hope construction goes smoothly and they’ll open soon.”

The Edmonds property is located on Highway 99 with easy access from Interstate 5 via 220th Street SW. The new drive-in will be close to Edmonds Community College, Swedish Edmonds Hospital, and Edmonds Stadium. The stadium is home field for all of the high schools in the Edmonds School District including Edmonds-Woodway, Lynnwood, Meadowdale, Mountlake Terrace and Scriber Lake.

“We look forward to making new friends along the way and feeding lots of hungry teenagers and their families after a big game,” Spady said.

Dick’s currently operates five restaurants, all in Seattle. The original Dick’s Drive-In opened in 1954 on Northeast 45th Street in Wallingford; the Capitol Hill Dick’s opened in 1955, the Crown Hill Dick’s opened in 1960, the Lake City Dick’s opened in 1963 and the lower Queen Anne Dick’sopened in 1974. The new Dick’s in Edmonds will maintain the original restaurant’s iconic 1950’s look and architecture.

Visit the website at www.dicksdrivein.com

Seattle – Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. announced today free hamburgers and cheeseburgers in honor of Veterans Day, Thursday, Nov. 11. Free burgers will be served throughout the day at all five Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants to any veteran or active military member as a way to honor past and present military service.

Dick Spady, co-founder and president of Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants, is also a veteran of two wars and Dick’s Drive-Ins supports the local USO at Sea-Tac Airport and Joint Base Lewis McChord. “I served in the Navy in World War II, the Air Force during the Korean War, and my wife was in the Navy when we met. We both share a deep respect and admiration for our fellow veterans and active military members. They deserve our recognition and gratitude,” Spady says.

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. until closing on Veterans Day, all veterans and active duty military members who can show any form of military identification or wear their military uniform will receive a free hamburger or cheeseburger at all five Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants in Wallingford, Broadway, Holman Road, Lake City, and Queen Anne.

Spady celebrated his 87th birthday in Oct. when the company announced historic plans to build the first new restaurant in 36 years in Edmonds. “We’re excited about the new drive-in which will help us to better serve veterans, active military members and our other customers up north with tasty burgers, fries, and shakes,” says Spady.

Visit the website at www.dicksdrivein.com

Seattle – After a 7 week search, Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants announced today that it has reached agreement with the owners of the TOP Food & Drug stores to purchase land in Edmonds to build the first new Dick’s Drive-In restaurant in 36 years. The property is located at 21900 Highway 99, in the northeast corner of the TOP Foods parking lot. Plans are to open the new drive-in by late 2011.

“All of the north-end communities have been very welcoming, but we can only build one restaurant at a time,” says Jim Spady, vice president ofDick’s Drive-Ins and son of co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady. “The Edmonds property is an ideal location on Highway 99 with easy access from Interstate 5 via 220th Street SW.” (map)

Spady added the company’s experience with the TOP Foods owners has been a plus. “As a family-owned business, we like working with the Haggen family who created what is now the largest, independent grocery store chain in Washington,” Spady says.

“We’re ecstatic that the Spady family will build the sixth Dick’s Drive-In next to our TOP Food & Drug in Edmonds,” says Jim Donald, president and CEO of Haggen, Inc. “As a longtime Puget Sound resident who has done a lot of traveling, I haven’t found a better hamburger than what I eat at Dick’s! We’ve found this site ideal for serving the community and believe both the new Dick’s Drive-In and our TOP Foods store will benefit from being next to each other.”

In addition to a Highway 99 location and easy access to I-5, Spady says the property is close to Edmonds Community College and Edmonds Stadium. The stadium is home field for all of the high schools in the Edmonds School District which includes; Edmonds-Woodway, Lynnwood, Meadowdale, Mountlake Terrace and Scriber Lake. “Nothing like hungry teenagers after a football game,” Spady says.

“The City of Edmonds is excited to welcome Dick’s Drive-Ins to Edmonds,” says Edmonds Mayor Mike Cooper, “The Spady family’s long-standing commitment to good jobs, education, and giving back to the community is just the kind of business we work to attract in our city.”

The property purchase is contingent on the successful completion of various feasibility studies and obtaining all of the necessary permits from the City of Edmonds. “Our meetings to date with Edmond’s city officials have been very positive. If everything goes well, we should close the sale within 180 days, begin construction in the spring and open the Edmonds Dick’s in late 2011,” Spady says.

The new site selection process included a customer online poll that resulted in a phenomenal response with over 115,000 people voting whether to locate the new Dick’s Drive-In north, south or east of Seattle. After almost 3 weeks of voting, the north region scored highest with 53,810 votes, or 46 percent of the votes cast.

“Although ‘north’ won the poll, given that there was also strong support for a new Dick’s restaurant both south and east of Seattle, we hope to eventually build a new restaurant in each of those areas if the new Edmonds Dick’s Drive-In is a success.” Spady says.

Today also marks Dick’s co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady’s 87th birthday.

The original Dick’s Drive-In opened in 1954 on Northeast 45th Street in Wallingford. The most recent restaurant built was the Queen Anne Dick’s in 1974. The new Dick’s in Edmonds will maintain the original restaurant’s iconic 1950’s look and architecture.

Dick’s Drive-Ins plans to make a major announcement regarding their new restaurant location. A press conference is scheduled as follows:

Friday also marks Dick’s co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady’s 87th birthday.

The original Dick’s Drive-In opened in 1954 on Northeast 45th Street in Wallingford. The most recent restaurant built was the Queen Anne Dick’sin 1974. The new restaurant will be the sixth Dick’s Drive-In built since 1954.

Seattle – After a phenomenal customer response to an online poll, Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants announced today plans to focus their search for a new restaurant location within a 20 mile area north of the original Dick’s in Wallingford. After almost 3 weeks of voting, the north region, including Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Edmonds, and South Everett scored highest with 53,810 votes, or 46 percent of the 115,524 votes cast. South captured 28 percent, (32,180 votes), and East received 26 percent (30,534 votes). The online poll closed at 10:00 p.m. on Sun., Sept. 19.

“This is an historic time for our family’s small business,” says Jim Spady, Vice President of Dick’s Drive-Ins and son of co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady. “The outpouring of support has been overwhelming and humbling. North received the most votes, and that is where we will now focus our efforts.” Spady added, “We want those who voted South and East to know that we heard their voices also. If the new northern Dick’s is a success, the next two Dick’s Drive-Ins will be built in the South and East regions.

What happens now? “If everything goes smoothly with selecting a new site, securing the building permits and constructing the new restaurant, then we hope to open the new Dick’s drive-in late in 2011 or early in 2012,” Spady says.

In addition to the strong customer web poll preference to build north, the top video contest winners all pitched northern locations in their 20-second spots.

First place: “The Spoof.” A local take on the “What can Brown do for you?” ad with the whiteboard demonstration. We loved the graphics and unexpected twists. Who knew that a single Dick’s Drive-In could save the planet and bring back the unicorn? Score one for Everett.

Second place: “The Action Film.” What would a burger commercial be without the guys blowing up the hood? Score one for the action flick and for Lynnwood.

Third place tie: “Black Humor.” The wilted boutoniere, the unrequited love for Peter Frampton was a 70’s flashback we would prefer to forget. It’s right up there with polyester suites and Gremlins. Score one for Edmonds.
And; “Dick’s Rapper Chicks.” Score another for the hood – Edmonds.

The original Dick’s Drive-In opened in 1954. The new Dick’s drive-in will be the first built in 36 years and will maintain the original restaurant’s iconic 1950’s look and architecture.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/dicksdrivein
Website: http://dicksdrivein.com

Seattle — Crossing a major threshold in an online customer poll, Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants announced today that 100,000 people have voted on where to build the next Dick’s Drive-In. The milestone vote occurred at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11 just in time for dinner. The company plans to extend the customer poll until Sunday, Sept. 19.

Vote breakdown as of Monday, Sept. 13 at 12:30 p.m. (Note: Survey Gizmo does not round up the numbers during the polling)
47 percent (48,438 votes) for North — Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwod, Edmonds, and South Everett
28 percent (28,297 votes) for South — West Seattle, South Seattle, Burien, SeaTac, and Tukwila
25 percent (25,098 votes) for East — Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Bothell, Mercer Island, Issaquah, and Sammamish

“The voting participation has wildly exceeded our expectations,” says Jim Spady, vice president of Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants and son of co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady. “We are now over the 100,000 and counting, and continue to be amazed by the outpouring of enthusiasm for our new restaurant project. People have been sharing their love for Dick’s burgers, shakes, and fries.”

Spady says that once the final votes are officially tallied, an announcement will be made along with the winners of the Dick’s video contest.

“We take what our customers say to heart, and the online poll winner will be a top consideration as we move the site selection process forward,” Spady says. Spady added that he expects an announcement before the end of the year.

The first Dick’s Drive-In was founded in 1954, expanding to 5 restaurants in Seattle until 1974 with the Queen Anne Dick’s. The new drive-in will be the first built in 36 years and will maintain the restaurant’s iconic 1950s look and architecture.

Facebook: http://facebook.com/dicksdrivein
Website: http://dicksdrivein.com

Seattle — Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants announced today that the online customer poll on where to build the next Dick’s Drive-In will be available until Sunday, Sept. 19. The company is also extending the video contest for the restaurant expansion until Sept. 19.

As of Friday morning, over 96,000 had voted in the Dick’s online poll. Hackers infiltrated the poll last week adding over 100,000 extra votes. Safety measures were implemented and the duplicated votes removed.

“We have been humbled by the phenomenal response,” says Jim Spady, vice president of Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants and son of co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady. “We are excited to hear from our customers who are so passionate about Dick’s burgers and fries.”

The first Dick’s Drive-In was founded in 1954, expanding to 5 restaurants in Seattle until 1974 with the Queen Anne Dick’s. The new drive-in will be the first built in 36 years and will maintain the restaurant’s iconic 1950s look and architecture.

Details for the video contest include the following:

Theme: Let us know in 20 seconds why we should build a Dick’s in your neighborhood?

Keep it FUN, CLEAN and CREATIVE
Post your 20-second spot as a response to the following YouTube page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es9Gk2x4F_Y
Deadline is Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010 by 5:00 p.m.
Top 3 videos will be posted on the Dick’s Drive-In Facebook page

Dick’s Drive-In prizes:

Facebook: http://facebook.com/dicksdrivein
Website: http://dicksdrivein.com

Seattle – Where to build the next Dick’s Drive-In Restaurant? That is the question. After 36 years and millions of burgers and fries, Seattle’s famed Dick’s Drive-In Restaurants today announced plans to build a new drive-in somewhere in the Seattle metro area by calling on customers and fans to help select the next location. The expansion is the first new Dick’s Drive-In for the company since the Queen Anne Dick’s opened in 1974.

“We are very excited to make this historic expansion after 36 years,” says Jim Spady, vice president of Dick’s Drive-Ins and son of co-founder and namesake, Dick Spady. “And we want to involve our customers and the community, asking everyone to help us find the best location for our next restaurant.”

Spady added that an online poll has been setup at DicksDriveIn.com for people to register their top pick for a new location. “We’re looking to the north, south and east of our current five Seattle locations to make it more convenient for customers to enjoy our famous burgers, fries, and shakes,” Spady says.

Dick’s Drive-Ins is known for having the region’s highest wages and employee benefits within the fast food industry including college scholarships of up to $18,000 per employee. “Taking care of our employees is one of the key foundations of our business,” says Dick Spady, president and co-founder of Dick’s. “This community has been so good to us for 56 years. We’re grateful to be in a position where we can create more jobs during a time when good jobs are hard to find.”

Dick Spady, who turns 87 in October, recalled how great it was to launch a successful business after being repeatedly told by local bankers that he couldn’t possibly make a profit selling 19 cent burgers because there were restaurants all over Seattle selling burgers for 30 cents and losing money.

“After 56 years, hiring tens of thousands of employees, and providing over $1 million to our employees in college scholarships, I’m glad we didn’t listen to those who told us ‘it wouldn’t work.’ Quality food, served quickly at low prices was a great idea in 1954 and it still is,” Dick says.

The first Dick’s Drive-In opened on NE 45th Street in Wallingford on January 28th, 1954. Burgers were 19 cents, fries 11 cents, and shakes 21 cents. “Some things have changed,” says Spady, “but we still use fresh beef and buns that have never been frozen, we still hand-cut our fries from real potatoes, and we still hand-dip and individually whip our shakes.This tradition of quality will continue at the new restaurant.”

“Another change is how our customers communicate,” says Spady. “Our Facebook page has over 100,000 friends and continues to grow as an online community passionate about great burgers, fries and shakes.”

To join the official Dick’s Drive-In Facebook burger community, go to facebook.com/dicksdrivein

To register your top pick for the new restaurant location, go to DicksDriveIn.com and take the instant poll.