This story was originally published on mynorthwest.com.
In celebration of Dick’s Drive-In’s 72nd birthday, the Seattle staple burger joint will offer 19-cent burgers at multiple locations between Monday and Thursday.
The tradition stems all the way back to Dick’s roots, where the company first offered cheeseburgers for only 19 cents at its grand opening when 35-cent burgers were the norm, Dick’s Drive-In announced.
“Many show up with the same goal they’ve had for decades: getting a hamburger or cheeseburger (and fries and a shake) that tastes the way they always have since 1954,” Dick’s Drive-In stated. “What makes it special isn’t just the price — it’s what the price represents: a connection to the earliest days of Dick’s Drive-In and, through it, the memories made here for more than seven decades.”
Dick’s Drive-In will provide 19-cent burgers throughout the week, with the event kicking off at the Everett and Wallingford locations on Monday. On Tuesday, Dick’s will offer its special deal only at its Broadway, Holman Road, and Kent locations.
On Wednesday, the Dick’s Drive-In at Queen Anne, Crossroads, and Lake City will offer the deal. Finally, the 19-cent burger event will end on Thursday at the Dick’s Edmonds and Federal Way locations. Each 19-cent burger is one per customer who is present.
The history behind Dick’s Drive-In’s 19-cent burger tradition
Founded by Dick Spady, Warren Ghormley, and Dr. B.O.A. “Thom” Thomas, Dick’s Drive-In opened on January 28, 1954. In those days, the restaurant invited customers to exit their cars and order food at the window through a quick-service model that Dick’s claimed “many people doubted would work in a rainy city.”
Dick’s opened by offering 19-cent burgers, despite the average price of a burger being roughly 35 cents across town at the time. The first Dick’s Drive-In grand opening was delayed by one of Seattle’s worst blizzards, which dumped more than 20 inches of snow on the city.
Once the weather cleared up, the Wallingford Dick’s Drive-In was born on Jan. 28 and was immediately embraced by Seattle, which continues to this day.
“That detail is still fitting today, because part of Dick’s anniversary tradition includes Seattle weather,” Dick’s Drive-In stated. “Every year, people show up in the January conditions with the same enthusiasm Dick’s customers brought in 1954, proving that burgers and community can outlast a little cold.”
Stop by the nearest Dick’s Drive-In location and celebrate its more than 70-year legacy in the city by grabbing one of Seattle’s finest cheeseburgers for only 19 cents this week.
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