Where we were: the first Dick’s Drive-In Seattle

If you are looking for a burger in Seattle, you will probably hear Dick's Drive-In as one of the first suggestions. That's because Dick's Drive-In has been a staple in Seattle since the summer of 1953, when then 29-year old Dick Spady opened the first Dick's Drive-In.

The first restaurant was located on N.E. 45th Street in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood not far from the University of Washington, and quickly became a success. A second drive-in was built on Capitol Hill in 1955, followed by Holman Road in 1960, Lake City in 1963, and Queen Anne in 1974, always keeping the restaurant's growth within the Seattle area.

When the Edmonds restaurant opened in October of 2011, I was super excited because it was near where both my sister and my dad worked at the time, and conveniently located right by the hospital where we deliver our babies. In fact, visiting the Edmonds Dick's Drive-In after my NST  tests with baby #3 was basically the only good thing about my complication-ridden pregnancy {besides, you know, the baby}. This last week, we introduced our little one to Dick's Drive-In with a stop into the very first Dick's location on N.E. 45th before we headed out to explore. Our kids were crazy excited, as you can see. Even our son, who is notoriously picky and typically orders his burgers with ketchup only, doesn't balk when his Dick's cheeseburger comes with mustard. Because Dick's instant service model doesn't allow them to make custom orders, you cannot add or remove ingredients as you can at other fast food restaurants.  So, for my son, we order the cheeseburger and it comes with ketchup, mustard, and cheese… and he's never complained. If you know my son, that is all the convincing you should need that there is something special about their food.  But, as much as Seattle loves the food, that isn't all there is to our love affair with Dick's. Not only is Dick's one of the best employers around because of their employment benefits and perks, Dick's has facilitated giving over $1.4 million as part of their Change for Charity program. You can find out more about how Dick's gives back here. Visiting Seattle? You will want directions and maps to all of the Dick's Drive-In locations. Or, you can just look for this sign: Have you eaten at Dick's Drive-In? What was your experience?