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![]() A Dog n Suds location at night. | |
Company type | Drive-In |
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Industry | Fast food |
Founded | 1952Champaign, Illinois | in
Founders | James Griggs, Don Hamacher |
Headquarters | , |
Number of locations | 11 [1] |
Area served | Midwestern United States |
Products | Hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, root beer |
Owner | Frostie Enterprises (1974) Don and Carol VanDame (TK&C's LLC)(1991) |
Website | dognsuds |
Dog n Suds is a midwestern United States-based chain of hot dog and root beer drive-in style eateries. [2] [3] The chain started in 1953; by the 1970s the franchise included over 650 restaurants across 38 states. In 2021, the brand continues to operate at approximately 20 locations; [4] the company serves hamburgers, french fries and soft drinks.
The first Dog n Suds was opened in 1953 in Champaign, Illinois by Champaign High School music teachers James Griggs and Don Hamacher. [2] According to Hamacher, he and Griggs asked an architect to draw up plans for a building, and the architect lettered into the sign: Dog n' Suds. When Hamacher asked him about it, the architect replied: "that's what you're selling", and that is the name they went with. [5] The second restaurant was opened after the owners were paid to build another by a wealthy patron and from there the owners decided to create a franchise. A training center was established in Champaign, named "Rover College" after the dog on the restaurant signage. [6] At its peak in 1968, the chain had about 650 restaurants. [3]
In the early 1970s, Griggs sold his interest in the business and a few years later in 1974 the company was sold to Frostie Enterprises who owned the Frostie and Stewart's brands of root beer. [7]
In 1991, the VanDames purchased the Dog n Suds trademark and identity rights. [6] In 2001, they created a new company, TK&C's LLC, to administer licensing rights for the brand. [8] [9]
On March 3, 1966, the newly opened Fred's Dog n Suds at the Candlestick Park Shopping Center in Jackson, Mississippi was completely destroyed by an F5 tornado during the 1966 Candlestick Park tornado outbreak. [10] [11] The story was spotlighted in a 2003 Storm Stories episode by the Weather Channel. [12]
The West Lafayette location was featured on an episode of the Big Ten Network's Campus Eats in 2018. [13]